Historic Greenhouse Restoration

Imagine walking into the Whaley family dining room and seeing a full lush greenhouse off of the west door. We know, from conversations with the grandson, that Mary had a flower room off of the dining room. The pet parrot, Loretta was kept near that door, so you could walk past her and into the greenhouse, a popular room for the wealthy of the nineteenth century.  Just imagine the possibilities that Mary Whaley’s flower room could hold for programs and tours in the museum.

Some years ago, the Whaley House was given a greenhouse by Gordon Anthony Florist. It is a Victorian greenhouse, whose skeleton you can see on the side of the house today. The rest of the pieces have been, and still are, in the basement, awaiting restoration. With the greenhouse came roughly $5,000, but that, unfortunately, is not enough to install and restore the Flint relic. We hope to raise $10,000 to finish this process and open the greenhouse with the house after the fire restoration.

The Whaley Historic House Museum is a Gilded-Age museum that was the home of Flint's philanthropic Whaley family. The house became a museum in 1976 and works to honor the memory of the Whaley family (who created the Whaley Children's Center and McFarlan Senior Residence), preserve Flint's history, and inspire a sense of historical appreciation in the community.