Sarasota botanical gardens sets opening for first phase of $72M project

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens says its first phase of its $72 million, three-phase master plan for its downtown Sarasota campus will open to the public Jan. 11.

The project adds 188,030 square feet of new facilities and amenities to Selby Gardens' campus on Sarasota Bay, which is dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, ferns and other tropical plants.

The first phase, according to a statement, will include:

• The Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility, which houses parking, a garden-to-plate restaurant, a new gift shop, vertical gardens and a nearly 50,000-square-foot solar array that will make Selby Gardens the first "net-positive energy" botanical garden complex in the world, the organization says.
• The Steinwachs Family Plant Research Center, which secures irreplaceable scientific resources in a hurricane-resilient structure and provides a window into once behind-the-scenes world-class research. The facility contains the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Herbarium and Laboratory, which houses preserved collections of more than 125,000 dried and pressed plant specimens and molecular scientific work. 
• The open-air Jean Goldstein Welcome Center consisting of a ticketing pavilion, welcome gallery and welcome theater "to properly accommodate and orient guests."
• A major stormwater management system to divert and clean millions of gallons of water each year before it is returned to Sarasota Bay.
• A publicly accessible multiuse recreational trail enabling multimodal transportation to the campus and the bayfront.

A key component is the new restaurant, called The Green Orchid, which organization officials say will be the world's first net-positive energy restaurant entirely utilizing solar power. 

The restaurant, operated by Sarasota-based Michael's On East, will feature a rooftop "edible garden" that will provide fresh produce for the menu. The edible garden is being planned, planted and maintained by Operation EcoVets, a nonprofit that provides personal, educational and professional growth opportunities for veterans.

The first phase has been made possible by the Campaign for Selby Gardens, chaired by Selby Gardens' trustees and leadership donors Jean Weidner Goldstein, Cornelia Matson and Pauline L. Wamsler.

More than $57 million has been raised, with $51.6 million being directed to the capital needs of the first phase. More than 3,500 contributors have made the undertaking possible, the organization says.

Attracting more than 300,000 visitors a year, Selby Gardens is celebrating its 50th anniversary. A timeline for the second and third phases of the master plan will be announced soon. Botanical Gardens is a Smithsonian affiliate and is also accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.