News Release

December 11, 1998

Efforts to Save Conservatory of Flowers Receive
Boost from First Lady and Save America’s Treasures Initiative

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Thanks to generous donations to the Save America’s Treasures initiative — a public-private partnership between the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, led by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton — San Francisco may be able to save one of its most treasured landmarks, the Conservatory of Flowers. The campaign to provide desperately needed renovation and repair to the 1870s-era Conservatory is being spearheaded by Friends of Recreation & Parks, and is one of the many preservation projects benefiting from the leadership of Save America’s Treasures grants.

The First Lady was joined this morning by donors to see the condition of the threatened landmark first-hand. Unable to take place in the Conservatory of Flowers, which has been closed, to the public since 1995, the announcement of gifts was made in the nearby Hall of Flowers. Leading the donors was the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund, which made a five million-dollar challenge grant contingent upon an additional ten million dollars being raised by December 31, 2000. Responding to Mrs. Clinton’s efforts to help meet the Goldman challenge, the Madeleine H. Russell Fund and the Columbia Foundation pledged one million dollars to Save America’s Treasures for the restoration of the Conservatory. Other generous pledges made in response to Save America’s Treasures’ call to action include the Susie Tompkins Buell Donor Advised Fund of the Marin Community Foundation ($100,000), Richard and Marianne Peterson ($100,000), and the Swig Foundation ($80,000). Other significant contributions include Robin and Marsha Williams, Ambassador William and Jean Lane, Philip Schlein and Ellen Klutznick, and Nan Tucker McEvoy. Mrs. Clinton also announced a 1.24 million-dollar grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will help restore the earthquake-damaged Conservatory.

"Preservation of landmarks such as the Conservatory of Flowers will help future generations of Americans to understand and appreciate California’s rich cultural heritage, and I am thrilled to see the community support to save this important structure" said Mrs. Clinton. "It has been my privilege to tour several historic places during my brief trip to California. There is no better way to understand our history than by seeing, feeling and experiencing it first hand. It is my hope that the Save America’s Treasures initiative will pave the way for future generations to experience these places as well."

"This challenge grant will encourage other foundations, corporations and Bay Area residents to do their part to renovate one of San Francisco’s most important buildings," said Richard N. Goldman, president of the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund. "The campaign to meet this challenge grant has gotten off to a terrific start, thanks to the efforts of the First Lady and the Save America’s Treasures program."

"We are committed to preserving the City’s most precious landmarks and are pleased to join with the First Lady and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to save this American treasure," said Alice Russell-Shapiro, member of the board of directors of the Columbia Foundation.

"America’s story is told at places like Monticello and Mount Vernon, but it’s also told in the local landmarks that give character to every community," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and co-chair of the Save America’s Treasures program. "The Conservatory of Flowers was a focus of community life for more than a century until it was closed in 1995. Now, thanks to the generosity of the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund and the Madeleine H. Russell Fund and the Columbia Foundation, its doors will open again for the enjoyment of generations to come."

Save America’s Treasures is a program of the White House Millennium Council created in 1997 by the President and First Lady to celebrate the accomplishments of this American century, and to engage every sector of our society in giving "gifts to the future" that convey our rich heritage. Save America’s Treasures is a bipartisan partnership between the U.S. Government and private individuals, corporations, foundations and experts in the fields of architecture and historic preservation. The National Trust for Historic Preservation serves as the private partner to Save America’s Treasures, coordinating the public awareness and education campaigns and working with preservation partners, including Heritage Preservation and the National Park Foundation, and the Millennium Committee to Save America’s Treasures to raise funds for the most urgent preservation needs identified at the state and national levels.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, chartered by Congress in 1949, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. It fights to save historic buildings and the neighborhoods and landscapes they anchor. Through education and advocacy, the National Trust is revitalizing communities across the country and challenges citizens to create sensible plans for the future. It has six regional offices, 20 historic sites, and works with thousands of local community groups nationwide.

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