Baltimore’s Department of Recreation and Parks has selected a contractor to lead the long-awaited restoration of the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory Palm House in Druid Hill Park, a project that’s expected to start this year and take four years to complete. The city agency has asked Baltimore’s Board of Estimates to award a contract to Wohlsen Construction Company, which was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and has offices around the Mid-Atlantic region. It was one of two firms that bid for the job last year. The spending panel is scheduled to consider the request at its meeting on Aug. 5. According to its agenda, the amount is $9,448,320. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rawlings Conservatory at 3100 Swann Drive is a Victorian glass conservatory that features five distinct greenhouses – Palm, Orchid, Mediterranean, Tropical and Desert – and surrounding gardens. Designed by George Frederick, the conservatory opened in 1888. Each greenhouse features a different climate and plant collection. The project up for award is a comprehensive restoration of the Palm House, the oldest and most historically-significant part of the Rawlings Conservatory, along with its Orchid Room. Rising 50 feet, the Palm House is the tallest section of the conservatory and its centerpiece. It is considered the second oldest steel-framed greenhouse in the U. S. and has 175 windows and a vaulted roof and cupola. Its skeleton was modeled after grand European greenhouses to contain towering palms, including the Green Malayan Coconut; Bismarck; Fan; Cat and Foxtail specimens, as well as seasonal and tropical plantings. The conservatory’s last major restoration took place from 2002 to 2004, when it was closed to the public and upgraded with UV-protective glass. After it reopened, its name was changed by law to the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory Botanic Gardens, in honor of the Maryland legislator who died in 2003 at the age of 66. ‘Architectural marvel’ The Palm House renovation project was first announced in 2024, with planners saying it would focus on glass replacement and structural reinforcement. One problem, planners note, is that some of the palm trees have grown so tall that they’ve broken through the roof. Elsewhere, paint is flaking off the exterior and caulking around the windows is cracking and falling out. The conservatory is an “architectural marvel” that “symbolizes Baltimore’s rich heritage and botanical fascination,” states the website of The Friends of the Rawlings Conservatory, a private, non-profit group that raises funds to support the conservatory and its gardens. “It is the second oldest public conservatory in the United States, a true Victorian jewel of our city,” the group states. “Yet time has taken its toll, and the Palm House is now in desperate need of a full restoration of the windows and structure to ensure its preservation for future generations.” The scope of work includes: Replacement of failing glazing and windows; Structural repairs and stabilization; Preservation of historic elements; Modernization of mechanical and electrical systems, and Re-establishment of lush landscaping and palm trees. Funds for the work are coming from the city, the state and private donors led by The Friends of the Rawlings Conservatory. In March of 2025, Maryland’s Board of Public Works approved $15.3 million for parks-related projects around the state, including the Palm House restoration. The Friends group has raised money in part by holding a series of fundraisers in which members turn the conservatory into a party palace for the night. Low bidder Founded in 1890, Wohlsen submitted the lower of two bids opened by the city last December. The company’s other Baltimore projects include replacement of the roof on the National Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Pavilion on Inner Harbor Pier 4 and upgrades to the exterior of Penn Station at 1500 N. Charles St. The second bid came from W. M. Schlosser Co., Inc., of Hyattsville, in the amount of $11,966,000. Schlosser has protested the award to Wohlsen, and the Board of Estimates will hear its protest on Aug. 5. If Wohlsen survives the protest, its start date will be determined by the board. According to the recreation department, construction will last 1,460 days – exactly four years. Representatives say the trees and plants will be removed from the building while construction is underway. ...read more read less