Selby Gardens raises $41M for next phase of redevelopment

Having reached 66% of its capital campaign goal, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, a major tourist attraction in downtown Sarasota, has announced it is moving ahead with Phase 2 of its master plan for its main campus. 

The capital goal for Phase 2 is $60.9 million of which $40.3 million has been raised. Selby Gardens has so far raised $103 million toward both the recently completed Phase 1 and Phase 2, including nearly $8 million for endowment, with 99% percent of all funds from private philanthropy. The total includes a $15 million commitment from an anonymous donor.

“We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported the new realization of Selby Gardens thus far, making our vision a reality,” says Selby Gardens Board Chairman Joel Morganroth in a statement. “Together, we are cultivating vital green space in Downtown Sarasota that will inspire future generations and celebrate the wonders of nature.

Morganroth and his wife, Gail, a capital campaign co-chair, have themselves made a new commitment of $5 million to Phase 2, bringing their total Master Plan commitment to $10.5 million. 

Phase 2 is expected to break ground by the end of 2025, with an opening date anticipated by the end of 2027. It will include a new Conservatory Complex, a Learning Pavilion, and key landscape features. 

The planned hurricane-resilient Conservatory Complex is described as a “stunning crystal palace filled with more than 20,000 plants from Selby Gardens’ living research collections, including the best scientifically documented collections of orchids and bromeliads in the world.” Currently, the public can view less than 5% of Selby Gardens’ research collections. The new Conservatory Complex will make public nearly 100% of the collection. 

A new indoor/outdoor Learning Pavilion will offer enhanced learning opportunities and accommodate expanded school programs and lifelong learning, and the expanded garden features will include Taras Stone Garden, Live Oak Grove and improved walkways and pathways within Selby Gardens’ existing footprint along Sarasota Bay.

“We have tremendous gratitude for everyone who believes in the mission and dynamic future of Selby Gardens, and we are excited to embark on this next phase of our Master Plan,” Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki says in the statement. “By investing in resilience measures, we ensure that this invaluable collection can continue to thrive and contribute to important research even in the face of extreme weather.”

In addition to the Morganroths, leadership donors, which start at $500,000, include Andrew Economos, The Gardener Foundation, Gutenstein Legacy Foundation, Marcy and Michael Klein, Katherine and Frank Martucci, Cornelia and Richard Matson, Keith Monda and Veronica Brady, Audrey Robbins, Jean Russell, Richard and Ellen Sandor, Steinwachs Family Foundation, The Stone Foundation, Hobart and Janis Swan, Martin and Zelia Trueb and Judy Zuckerberg and family.

This article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.