Crowds line up for first chance to see newly renovated Seymour Conservatory in Tacoma’s Wright Park
Even before the W.W. Seymour Conservatory opened its doors Saturday afternoon a line was forming to enter the newly renovated Victorian glass house in Tacoma’s Wright Park.
By noon, the line stretched two blocks down South G Street.
As they entered the 114-year-old building, visitors craned their necks to see a living wall of plants and peered into a steamy vivarium looking for poison dart frogs. Both are new features.
The conservatory is back in business after Metro Parks Tacoma completed a $2.73 million renovation that has kept the building closed for a year. Seymour is one of only three public Victorian-style conservatories on the West Coast.
While a good portion of the money was used to repair and replace crumbling infrastructure, visitors encountered new plants and new features Saturday.
By 7 p.m. Saturday, 825 people had walked through the conservatory’s front door.
Frogs and bog
The four frogs in Seymour’s vivarium are youngsters, raised by a commercial breeder in Steilacoom. They were playing shy Saturday but volunteer Maggie Hellis helped visitors find the golden speckled critters.
“I think it’s cool to see one of the most poisonous species in the world right in front of you,” Hellis said. “Fun fact is that they’re not poisonous in captivity.”
Metro Parks was holding a naming contest for the frogs.
“I think there’s more than a couple of Kermit suggestions,” she said.
Keira Iriye, 8, suggested Seymour Kaeru — to honor founder William Seymour plus the Japanese word for frog.
Keira was exploring the conservatory with twin brother Kai and parents Craig Iriye and Julie Shioshita. The kids were fascinated with the frogs and another new feature: a carnivorous plant bog sprouting elegant pitcher plants.
The bog attracted adults, too, including one man who dropped an ant into the mouth of a seemingly appreciative Venus flytrap.
Tussie Mussie
Inside the tropical room, Mary Waddell was admiring new plants in eye-popping colors while wearing a floral crown and holding a potted plant. Now a Graham resident, Waddell lived just a block away in the 1990s but hadn’t been back in years.
“I think it’s beautiful. Amazing,” she said.
Near the new gift shop, staff and volunteers were helping visitors make the flower-filled head gear.
Outside, garden designer and author Sue Goetz was making tussie mussie bouquets. They were a nod to the Victorian era when bouquets were given to loved ones and friends as a kind of floral shorthand.
“This is before Hallmark greeting cards,” she said.
Lavender signaled devotion, rosemary indicated remembrance and sage suggested wisdom. Goetz cut all the material from her garden that morning.
“Except for the roses,” she said.
Seymour’s future
Large portions of the conservatory’s plantings inside and outside are new, some donated by Amazon.
Manager Tyra Shenaurlt said the plants will grow, fill in and soon return the conservatory to its tropical feel.
“Things are going to be blooming that aren’t blooming now,” Shenaurlt said. “You’re going to be able to come every couple of months and see something completely different.”
On Saturday, the living wall was a pattern of green, purple and red. Shenaurlt said it will explode with color in the coming months.
“We’re gonna change plants out and add in some new color and some new interest as they grow out of the space,” she said.
Fundraising by the conservatory’s board and gift shop sales will keep admission free.
This story was originally published May 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
