A New Era Under Glass
January 22, 2026
The Lucile Halsell Conservatory Evolves
By Hannah Roberts, Chief Development Officer
Andrew Labay, Chief Mission Officer
Sam Hogg, Vice President of Operations
This spring, the Garden will complete a two-and-a-half-year restoration project to enhance the Lucile Halsell Conservatory and ensure the safety of our collections, marking a bright new chapter for the Garden. All laminate windows across the five houses of the Lucile Halsell Conservatory have been replaced with nearly 37,000 square feet of custom-cutglass. The Conservatory shines with renewed brilliance—thanks to the generosity of the City of San Antonio, whose investment is restoring the architectural landmark to its original splendor.
We are now moving forward with the next phase of transformation—two extraordinary capital projects that bring renewed vitality and purpose to the space: the Napier Family Orchid Pavilion and the Gretchen Northrup Tropical Conservatory, both scheduled to open in the Fall of 2026.
Together, these initiatives embody the heart of the Garden’s 10-Year Master Plan, guiding future growth through innovation, education, and community connection.
The Napier Family Orchid Pavilion
A Cloud Forest Comes to Life
Within the Conservatory’s collection of glass houses, the former Exhibit Room is being transformed into the Napier Family Orchid Pavilion. This world-class environment will position the Garden as the premier orchid collection in the Southwest.
“The Exhibit Room was originally designed as the grand entrance to the Lucile Halsell Conservatory—a dynamic space for rotating botanical exhibits and seasonal displays. Overtime, its purpose evolved. We continued to draw more visitors with a popular tropical plant installation featuring a striking artificial tree draped with epiphytes. Bromeliads, aroids, and orchids clung to its branches, transforming the room into a lush tribute to the tropics. As interest in the display grew, so did the Garden’s orchid collection,” says Chief Mission Officer, Andrew Labay.
In 2019, volunteers from the Alamo Orchid Society expanded the collection through generous donations and expert guidance. One year later, the Garden launched its first Orchid Weekend, celebrating orchid diversity and culture. The event quickly expanded to Orchid Month, featuring creative floral displays, living orchid walls, educational classes, and guided tours.
When the full Conservatory renovations began in 2024, an ambitious vision came to life—reimagining the Exhibit Room as a permanent tribute to orchid diversity and conservation supported by companion plant families such as bromeliads, aroids, and begonias.
The Napier Family Orchid Pavilion is designed to emulate a tropical Orchid Cloud Forest, one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. The Pavilion recreates the cool, misty, high altitude locations where clouds touch the trees, in places such as Costa Rica and Southeast Asia.
This immersive new habitat will support the expansion of the Garden’s orchid collection from approximately 150 species and varieties to over 600, significantly increasing the Garden’s horticultural and educational impact. The focus is not only on threatened cloud forest species but also on exceptional cultivated orchid varieties known for their form, fragrance, and blooms. The center of the pavilion will also be opened to accommodate larger gatherings, educational programs, and seasonal exhibits.
“We are deeply honored to partner with the Garden on this transformative initiative,” says Dacia Napier. “Orchids represent beauty, resilience, and the power of nature—qualities that exemplify the Garden’s mission. We believe it is imperative to support efforts that preserve the planet’s biodiversity. With orchids thriving in ecosystems worldwide, this initiative positions the Garden as a leader in their conservation. Through scientific research, education, and immersive experiences, the Orchid Pavilion will not only protect these extraordinary plants but also inspire our community to appreciate and safeguard the natural world.”
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dacia and Lanham Napier, whose leadership, generosity, and passion for orchids inspired their visionary investment in this exceptional project. We are thrilled to name the Napier Family Orchid Pavilion in their honor. Our guests will experience an environment of rare and spectacular orchids, suspended epiphytes, and walls adorned with vines,” says President and CEO, Katherine Trumble.
The Kukana Naylor Orchid Waterfall: A Cascade of Beauty Inspired by Island Splendor
As a highlight of the Napier Family Orchid Pavilion, we are delighted to announce a generous gift from Susan Naylor to create the Kukana Naylor Orchid Waterfall—a breathtaking, cascading display where orchids flourish among flowing waters. The name “Kukana,” meaning Susan in Hawaiian, symbolizes her deep connection to the Hawaiian Islands, where some of the world’s most extraordinary orchids grow in the wild.
Susan’s generosity reflects her enduring commitment to enriching San Antonio’s cultural landscape and her passion for creating spaces of restoration and joy. The Kukana Naylor Orchid Waterfall will transport visitors to a tropical paradise while remaining firmly rooted in Texas—an experience that will inspire and delight generations to come, honoring her beautiful legacy of community investment.
“The wild orchids and waterfalls of Hawaii have always taken my breath away. Through this gift, I hope to share that same sense of wonder and tranquility with our San Antonio community, creating a space to escape to nature’s beauty right here in our beloved city,” says Susan Naylor.
The 2nd Annual Bubbles & Blooms Luncheon, held March 31, 2025, and co-chaired by CeCe Frost Griffin and Joannah Pickett, gathered more than 400 guests who celebrated the diversity and wonder of orchids while raising funds for this landmark initiative.
When complete, the Napier Family Orchid Pavilion with the Kukana Naylor Orchid Waterfall will not only enchant visitors—it will also advance the Garden’s conservation mission, nurturing the species that represent some of the most captivating and delicate plant life on Earth.
The Gretchen Northrup Tropical Conservatory
A Celebration of Human Ecology
Just steps away, another transformation is taking shape within the Lucile Halsell Conservatory: the Gretchen Northrup Tropical Conservatory, also known as the Tropical Room.
The Tropical Room has long been a magical space that transports visitors from South Texas into a lush, vibrant tropical forest. When it reopens in Fall 2026, guests will enjoy a celebration of edible and useful tropical plants. The Tropical Room will showcase the connections between people, plants, and the foods that nourish, heal, and sustain communities worldwide.
A new elevated steel walkway will guide guests through zones of botanical discovery, offering a fresh perspective and view of the tropical canopy from above. A revamped water feature, expanded vertical plant installations, and a majestic tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) will anchor the space. In Southeast Asia, tamarind trees often mark the center of a community — offering shade, fruit, and a gathering place adorned with ribbons that symbolize unity between people and nature. This is the heart of the Garden’s mission: to bring people together through nature.
Along the path, visitors will encounter plants long cherished by cultures around the world for their culinary and practical uses. Displays include ginger (Zingiber officinale) and black pepper (Piper nigrum), revealing the roots and vines behind familiar flavors. Nearby, cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.) and cacao (Theobroma cacao) showcase the origins of common cooking ingredients, connecting everyday experiences to their tropical roots. Throughout the conservatory, vertical plantings and trellises will surround visitors in lush growth, creating an enveloping sense of exploration.
Around every turn, plants tell stories of culture and flavor. The dragon fruit (Selenicereus spp.) will climb vertically on trellises, its sculptural stems and brilliant blooms adding surreal elegance. Nearby, passion fruit (Passiflora spp.) vines will cascade with tendrils and intricate flowers, symbolizing both beauty and abundance. The coffee tree (Coffea spp.) will evoke familiar daily rituals, while papaya (Carica papaya) and banana (Musa spp.) lend tropical vibrancy and nourishment. Finally, the star-shaped fruits of carambola (Averrhoa carambola) will shimmer among glossy leaves, a playful reminder of nature’s artistry.
Together, these plants will form a living tapestry—a space where every scent, color, and texture rekindles wonder and invites guests to reconnect with the tropical world.
Honoring a Vision, Inspiring a Future
The Lucile Halsell Conservatory is a symbol of innovation in San Antonio—a place where visitors can experience the extraordinary diversity of global ecosystems within a single, artfully designed landscape. The Ewing Halsell Foundation’s extraordinary vision brought this architectural masterpiece to life. Today, the generosity of donors, volunteers, and community champions keeps the dream alive, evolving the Conservatory into a dynamic, living classroom that bridges art, ecology, and culture.
As the mist rises over the new Napier Family Orchid Pavilion and the canopy walkway weaves through the Gretchen Northrup Tropical Conservatory, the Lucile Halsell Conservatory begins its next luminous chapter—one that celebrates both the legacy of the past and the promise of what is yet to bloom.
The transformation of these two Conservatory houses is more than a renovation—it is a catalyst for the Garden’s 10-Year Master Plan, which envisions expanded learning spaces, greater conservation impact, and unforgettable visitor experiences rooted in sustainability and community connection. These projects showcase how the Master Plan is brought to life through collaboration, creativity, and generosity.