COMING SOON

Cornell Plantations’ Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center

Nestled into the base of Comstock Knoll, in the heart of the botanical garden, the new Cornell Plantations’ Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center will provide many long wished-for visitor amenities.  Designed by noted Canadian architects, Baird Sampson Neuert, the Nevin Welcome Center is the culmination of many years of planning for improved visitor services.

The first floor of the Nevin Welcome Center will include a bright and airy two-story atrium and lobby.  Here visitors will find interpretive exhibits about Cornell Plantations, a reception desk, fully accessible restrooms, a gift shop, and small café. 

To better serve Plantations’ education and outreach programs, the second floor, accessible by stairs and an elevator, will include a large, 100-seat multipurpose room, which can be divided to accommodate two classes or meetings at the same time.  Additionally there will be a small conference room and kitchenette.

Designed to qualify for LEED Gold (Leadership in Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, the Welcome Center will advance the identity of Plantations as a “green garden” and promote its leadership role in environmental stewardship initiatives.

Botanical Garden improvements

In concert with the construction of the Nevin Welcome Center, we are also  making significant improvements to the surrounding botanical garden.  These improvements will start with a new parking area and tour- bus drop off zone.  The parking area and arrival plaza will be partially constructed of Cornell Structural SoilTM, a special substrate design that allows better root penetration to encourage vigorous tree growth.  The arrival plaza at the parking area will be shaded by trees that will become part of our Urban Tree Collection. 

Adjacent to the parking area a new bioswale will provide an innovative landscaping approach that precludes the need for conventional underground drainage systems.  The bioswale garden will include plants that can withstand dry and wet conditions, all of which will filter surface water runoff from the parking lot and surrounding areas.

Another improvement to the botanical garden will include a lighted, accessible walkway from the parking area to the Nevin Welcome Center and central gardens.

Over the next several years we will be developing new gardens in the area in front of the Nevin Welcome Center, including a redesigned peony garden, international crops garden, and corn breeding display area. 

Welcome Center Renderings by Baird Sampson Neuert, Bioswale Renderings by Irene Lekstutis