THE SUN TIMES
By Jason Lee
The Purdy Center, serving as a welcome center, conservatory and the new entry point to the iconic sculpture gardens, opens Monday at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet.
On Thursday, workers were busily making final preparations for opening the center – lifting massive potted plants toward the 30-foot-high ceiling, arranging exhibits and training docents to give tours of the facility.
On the floor of the Great Hall is the “Brookgreen in Minature” exhibit, a representation of the grounds and sculptures of the gardens, that was constructed by Applied Imagination. It features 11 replica sculptures, the Brown Sculpture Court and the Old Kitchen, as well as the pathways, flora and fauna represented throughout the gardens.
Remarkably, the entire exhibit was created using all natural materials.
The model gives visitors a chance to get oriented and gives them a preview of significant aspects to look for during their tour of the gardens.
Thirteen diamond-shaped skylights will fill the Great Hall with light. Other features of the space include a wall to ceiling Green Wall consisting of 1,088 tropical plants and an orchid wall with 50 to 70 orchids on display at any given time that opens to an elevated veranda.
The 5,500-square-foot space can seat up to 250 people for private events and weddings.
A coffee bar and a landscaped courtyard will serve as a gathering space for visitors and a jumping-off point for various tours of the statuary and botanical gardens.
One of the highlights of the new facility is the Gaia Walk, named for the sculpture by Dora Natella, which is an ADA-compliant ramp that circles the bronze sculpture to an elevated veranda, 9 feet above the gardens. The vantage will allow people of all abilities to look over the gardens at the Fountain of the Muses and Pegasus statue beyond. The overlook should provide a spectacular sunset view.
The Welcome Center and Conservatory was started two years ago but has been part of the master plan for Brookgreen for more than 30 years so it seamlessly fits with the design of the gardens and incorporates many design elements seen throughout.
The medallion design above both doors, for instance, is based on the iron work of a former slave and craftsman that mirrors his original work on the entry gate of the Alston Family Cemetery that remains on the property.
A Kalwall shade above the veranda is shaped like butterfly wings, meant to pay tribute to Anna Hyatt Huntington’s original design of the formal Gardens in the 1930s.
The capstone project under the organization’s Campaign for the Next Generation, was designed by the architectural firm of Craig Gaulden Davis Inc. It was built by local firm Dargen Construction at the cost of approximately $17 million.
In a press release, Brookgreen said that the new center expands Brookgreen’s capacity for visitor engagement, educational programming, cultural enrichment, and horticultural displays and will “deepen Brookgreen’s mission of conservation, sculpture, plant collections, and Lowcountry history.”
