SEATTLE -- Hydrangeas, gardenias and a vast collection of orchids -- nature's perfume on a palate of color. And it's all too expensive for Seattle to maintain.
"It's a romantic place. It's an old fashioned building with old fashioned plants," said Audrey Meade with Friends of the Conservatory.
The Volunteer Park Conservatory, though a jewel of the Seattle Parks Department, is deep financial trouble. Nearly $450,000 is spent each year on the conservatory, and it needs costly repairs. With city budget woes, officials are struggling with how to keep it open.
"We could keep trying to fund it. We could close it. Nobody wants to do that," says Dewey Potter with the Seattle Parks Department.
This is the Conservatory's centennial year. Built in 1912 it was modeled after London's Crystal Palace. Its free to the public, with donations barely off-setting the city's investment.
"We do have the super wealthy that can afford that kind of generosity," said Pamela Nelson, a Conservatory supporter. "Help us."
The Conservatory is funded through this year, but could face the budget ax at a later time.
"My heart would be broken," said Meade. "I've said before, if that happens, I'll sit outside with a bottle of whiskey, they'll have to pry me away."
The City of Seattle hired a $35,000 consultant to determine how, or if, the conservatory can be saved. The consultant's report is due back in March.
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