Rescue and revival : New York Botanical Garden, 1989-2018 / Gregory Long ; foreword by Robin Lane Fox.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Long, Gregory (Gregory R.), author.

Contributor:

Lane Fox, Robin, 1946- writer of foreword.

Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Botanical gardens--New York (State)--New York--History.

Botanical gardens.

Long, Gregory (Gregory R.).

Long, Gregory.

New York Botanical Garden--History.

New York Botanical Garden.

New York (State)--New York.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xii, 194 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Amherst, Massachusetts : Library of American Landscape History, [2022]

Summary:

By the late 1980's, the New York Botanical Garden was in serious trouble. The staff were poorly paid and balkanized, endowments were depleted, fundraising was inadequate, and visitation had dwindled to an embarassing level. The grounds were seedy, many of the historic buildings decrepit, and the great conservatory in need of total rehabilitation. The fundamental concept of a botanical garden as an educational institution and museum of plants had been forgotten. The once distinguished place, founded in 1891, had reached its nadir. Enter Gregory Long, a new CEO brought in from outside the botanical world with a mandate to rescue it. This is the story of how he did. Twenty years' experience at five major New York cultural institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, together with an extraordinary energy and imagination, equipped Long with a vision for how to turn things around. He set about recruiting new senior staff, rebuilding the board, reengaging employees, and fundraising on a vast scale. The massive billion-dollar program of renewal, modernization, and expansion he and his staff implemented was realized through four successive strategic plans, resulting in the restoration of the historic landscape, creation of new programming, and construction of many new facilities and gardens. By 2018, NYBG had been reestablished as one of the city's major cultural institutions and was recognized as the most important privately funded botanical garden in the world. The renaissance of the New York Botanical Garden is a success story that will inspire readers everywhere, from those who steward their own nonprofit organizations to those whose lives have been enriched by the beauty and educational impact of this remarkable place.--Book jacket.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. A New York Cultural Life, 1969

1989

2. Starting Out: Dogs and Cars

3. Diving In and Learning Science

4. Rainforest Remedies, Complications, and Forging Ahead

5. Serious Work on the Place: The Conservatory

6. A New Lab and an Emphasis on the Visitor

7. The Board, the Money, and Michelle Obama

8. More Serious Work on the Place: 1.3 Million Visitors

9. My Final Years and the Edible Academy.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

1952620376

9781952620379

OCLC:

1260191068

Publisher Number:

99991279500