Chester County

Inside Look at $250 Million Longwood Gardens ‘Reimagined' Expansion

NBC Universal, Inc.

Longwood Gardens is embarking on a $250 million, 17-acre expansion in what the Chester County tourist destination is calling its “most ambitious revitalization in a century,” the Philadelphia Business Journal reported

Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience will preserve and relocate some of the 1,100-acre site’s existing staple elements while adding multiple new facets, including a 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory housing Mediterranean-inspired gardens, a Bonsai Courtyard, and a public restaurant and private event space, said PBJ.com.

An artist's rendering of the Longwood Gardens Reimagined project
Weiss/Manfredi with Reed Hilderbrand for Longwood Gardens
An artist's rendering of the Longwood Gardens Reimagined project

The project expects to break ground in spring and is anticipated to debut to the public in fall 2024. As part of the initial transformation phase, Longwood’s century-old Orchid and Banana Houses will temporarily close on March 1 for preservation and re-open in time for the attraction’s year-end 2021 holiday display. Longwood’s Main and East conservatories will remain open throughout the expansion, and the destination will maintain its calendar of scheduled events and performances. The Kennett Square tourist attraction is frequented by more than 1.5 million visitors annually.

Longwood Gardens at night
Weiss/Manfredi with Reed Hilderbrand for Longwood Gardens
A look at the vision for the Waterlily Court.

New York-based Weiss/Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism is the lead designer on the project, working in collaboration with Reed Hilderbrand. Longwood Reimagined stems from a 2010 master plan by West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture in partnership with Weiss/Manfredi. Wilmington firm Bancroft Construction Co. will manage the project. 

Longwood Gardens West Conservatory rendering at night
Weiss/Manfredi with Reed Hilderbrand for Longwood Gardens
A rendering of what the West Conservatory will look like.

PBJ.com has details on the centerpiece of the Longwood Reimagined project, the forthcoming West Conservatory.

Read more business and development stories from the Philadelphia Business Journal.

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