Lorillard Mansion, not dated. In 1760 Pierre Abraham Lorillard established a tobacco company in New York City. Pierre was killed during the Revolutionary War, but his sons took over the firm and moved it to the Bronx in 1792. Peter Lorillard constructed a 45-room mansion, stone cottage, and stables. He also built the nearby Lorillard Snuff Mill in 1840 for tobacco production. The tobacco company decamped to New Jersey in the 1870s and the city purchased the estate in the 1880s. The mansion was destroyed by a fire in 1924 but the still standing mill is the oldest existing tobacco manufacturing building in the U.S.

Enid A. Haupt Conservatory ca. 1978 The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is perhaps the crown jewel of the New York Botanical Garden. It was key to the garden's initial mission to further " the collection of and culture of plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees, the advancement of botanical science and knowledge." The greenhouse was a relatively new typology, so the Botanical Garden hired the best architects of the type, Lord and Burnham Co., as its designers. The Haupt Conservatory was designed in the Italian Renaissance style. Portions of this crystal palace are renovated approximately every 20 years in order to ensure that the plants inside are taken care of with the most advanced technology. The high temperature and humidity of the tropical biomes cause the steel and glass structure to constantly expand, contract, and rust. Some of the more notable renovations occurred between 1935 and 1950 when much of the ornate decoration was removed in favor of a modernist look. Most recently, the Palm Dome has undergone structural stabilization and lead-based coating removal by Beyer Blinder Belle in 1973 and Jan Hird Pokorny Associates in 2019. The Conservatory is comprised of 11 biomes. The biomes, each contained under a dome, form a C-shape around the Palm Dome, the largest in the center. Interconnecting pavilions connect tropical plants, desert flora, fern forests, and seasonal exhibits to one another. The conservatory is still a major resource for the international study of horticulture, drawing hundreds of scientists a year. Built during an era where greenhouses were primarily an accessory of the elite, the New York Botanical Garden's conservatory enabled New Yorkers of all backgrounds to experience the flora and fauna of faraway lands.

Just north of Manhattan is one of New York City’s most diverse and culturally enriching boroughs: the Bronx. The Bronx is home to Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the New York Botanical Garden, and so many other wonderful sites to visit. The popularity and spread of hip-hop music in the 1970 and 80s can be traced back to the Bronx. Besides the historical sites you can visit, you will surely be hungry after a long day of exploring the Bronx and its expansive history. The Bronx’s iconic Arthur Avenue has a plethora of Italian cuisine and dishes you can choose from, while you can find an abundance of gourmet Latin restaurants in other neighborhoods. While you might not be able to hit all these locations in one day on foot, be sure to check out these food establishments after a fun outing to a landmark in the Bronx.

3055 Webster Avenue, 1938.

Following the creation of the Greater New York City in 1898 the population of the Bronx boomed, and the need for additional municipal services became apparent. By 1905, the growth of the borough required expanded police forces. A new precinct, first known as the 41st Precinct, was completed in 1906 on quasi-rural land near the New York Botanical Garden. Designed by the firm of Stoughton & Stoughton, the neo-Italian Renaissance building is rendered in red brick and terra cotta. The wooden brackets at the roof, the clocktower, and the diapering (decorative diamond patterns) of the brick add to its quaint appearance. Renamed the 52nd Police Precinct by the mid-century, the building's exterior remains extremely well preserved. It is both a New York City landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Mertz Library is sometimes called "the library hiding in a garden hiding in New York City." It is one of the largest botanical libraries in the world and the largest in America, with over half a million volumes in its general research collection alone. Use of the library is free and has been since its opening in 1881. The library was one of the first structures built on the grounds of the New York Botanical Garden. Its collection includes books and materials on history, anthropology, landscape, and building design, architectural history, ethnobotany, urban social history, environmental policy, including over 3,000 linear feet of archival materials. The Mertz Library holds both rare and historically important works, notably flower portraits by Pierre-Joseph Redouté and 19th-century American seed catalogs.

The New York Botanical Garden is a 250-acre verdant landscape, an advocate for the plant kingdom. So stop, and smell the roses! It's a treat for all the senses.

The mill has belonged to the New York Botanical Gardens since 1937 and after half a century as a cafeteria (the Snuff Mill Tea Room) and meeting space, it was renovated in 2010. Offices and an event space now occupy the nearly 180-year-old building.

As New York battles the Coronavirus pandemic this summer, city businesses and public spaces are re-opening in phases. While we await the call to reopen museums and other indoor cultural activities, Phase 4 will bring New Yorkers back into the zoos, botanical gardens, and key tourist attractions throughout the city like the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. Plus, professional sports will resume, though without fans in the stands.