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Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting: Brookgreen Gardens Purdy Center
Brookgreen Gardens is Cutting the Ribbon to welcome the public to its new Welcome Center and Conservatory Gardens, The Purdy Center. Brookgreen is home to the largest and most significant collection of American figurative sculpture in the country. It is a leader in sculpture conservation, environmental conservation, and the protection of the plants, animals, and history of the South Carolina Lowcountry. The Purdy Center serves as the Welcome Center for Brookgreen Gardens, provides additional event and educational program space, and includes a new Contemporary Conservatory. The Purdy Center has transformed the campus, welcoming guests from around the world and enabling Brookgreen to expand horticulture programs. Guests can enjoy an accessible, year-round garden to explore tropical biomes, including a butterfly garden to educate children and families. The Conservatory Great Hall is the public centerpiece featuring skylights, clear story windows, and accordion doors opening onto an expansive courtyard. With ever-changing botanical displays, a floor-to-ceiling Green Wall showcasing tropical plants, and an array of hanging baskets and planters, this space is a seamless extension of the Gardens. Outside, the Conservatory Veranda, an elevated terrace featuring a Kalwall shade in the shape of butterfly wings, pays tribute to Anna Hyatt Huntington's original design of the formal Gardens in the 1930s. A landscaped Courtyard serves as a gathering space for Brookgreen's programs and tours, doubling as a private event space for special occasions. The Center is named for Verl and Sandra Purdy of Charlotte, NC, and the Peninsula at Inlet Point South at Litchfield, SC, in honor of their leadership, support, and love of the Gardens as Honorary Trustees.
