Preservation panel backs Mitchell Park Domes nomination to National Register

The Historic Preservation Commission voted to support the nomination of the Mitchell Park Domes (Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory) to the National Register of Historic Places, with staff preparing a letter for the chair to sign.

A graduate intern, Dhingrupa Shubhra, presented a prerecorded nomination that described the domes as a rare and innovative conoidal dome system designed by Donald Grieb (architect) and engineered by Charles Whitney. The presentation identified the period of significance (1964–1967), explained why the domes are significant in architecture and engineering under National Register Criteria C, and compared them to other conservatory domes such as the Climatron in St. Louis.

Staff told the commission the nomination would go to the state review board imminently and asked for the commission’s formal endorsement. Commission members posed technical questions about comparable domes and possible structural issues, and staff said supporting materials and comments should be submitted to them this week to be forwarded with the nomination.

After brief discussion, a motion to support the nomination and have the chair sign the prepared letter carried by voice vote. Staff said the nomination was expected to be submitted to the state review board around May 15.