Fairchild History

Located in Coral Gables, the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is said to be home to the only tropical rain forest in the continental United States. Established by Robert H. Montgomery in 1936, the 83-acre botanical garden near Biscayne Bay was designed by landscape architect William Lyman Phillips. As a member of the Olmsted Brothers firm, Phillips worked on the Boston Common early in his career. After arriving in Florida during, his projects included Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Bok Tower Gardens (with the Olmsted Brothers), Greynolds Park, McKee Botanic Gardens, Overseas Highway to the Keys, Royal Palm State Park in the Everglades, Matheson Hammock, Virginia Key, Miami’s Woodlawn Cemetery and the University of Miami. In addition to having an extensive collection of rare tropical plants, Fairchild is also a conservation research facility, learning center, laboratory and museum.

A walk through Fairchild