Greenhouse Grows Again

by By Sofia Jeremias '18 | November 24, 2015

In the south corner of campus in the Assumption Hall parking lot, there lies a greenhouse. It was forgotten and slowly fell into a state of disrepair, enduring years of neglect. The wood began to rot and the glass began to thin over a span of 50 years. Some joked that Facilities Services hoped someone would accidentally crash into it, giving them an excuse to tear it down. That is, until one biology professor and two students took it upon themselves to restore the dilapidated structure. Now, the greenhouse is fully remodeled and can serve as a place for students to grow model plants, such as corn and tobacco. Model plants are chosen because their structure makes it easy for students to study them extensively.

“It has exceeded my wildest dreams,” said Professor Anthony Talo of the Biology Department about the long process of restoring the greenhouse. “When I came in 2010, I saw this sad greenhouse and as a plant biologist I felt bad for it,” Talo said. He decided to take on the restoration of the greenhouse as a personal project two years ago because he believed “nobody cared about it and it was in pretty bad shape.”

Talo spent about $400 of his own money on caulk, nails, and screws to patch the broken glass and wood. As he continued to work, Talo discovered an array of problems. The wood had accumulated leaves, dirt, and moss. The moss accumulated water, eventually resulting in dry rot. He said he was able to “get it to a state where it was reasonably decent but it still overheated.” Because the filters cost several hundred dollars each, and the department did not have the money to cover it, Talo tried to make a filter out of burlap, but did not succeed after many attempts.

Then, last year, two of his former biology students decided to work on restoring the greenhouse as part of their senior project. Sheila Kocelj and Viviana Garcia, both class of 2015, decided to take over Talo’s project. “They wanted to make more plant research possible, so they researched greenhouses, cleaned it up a bit, and started to work on it and started to see that it was beyond repair,” he said. The two students realized that the only solution was to rebuild the greenhouse.

Kocelj and Garcia took the greenhouse all the way down to its concrete foundation. They kept the original doors and piled the glass they deemed reusable outside. Kocelj’s father then became involved, using his connections and knowledge from working with a commercial glass company. Once the academic year ended, and both Kocelj and Garcia had graduated, Kocelj and her father continued to repair the greenhouse. They worked on the greenhouse every weekend of the summer. They acquired all the parts they needed, including redwood, aluminum, and polycarbonate panels through Kocelj’s father’s connections and donations. Kocelj reflected that the most beneficial part of her experience was “learning how to actually build something, how to have an idea and turn it into something tangible.”

The remodeled greenhouse will provide students and faculty with a controlled environment to grow model plants. Talo said the greenhouse “is now a sturdy structure, reinforced with aluminum, all brand-new wood, polycarbonate dual pane siding and roof, with temperature sensitive vents so when it gets hot, the vents open. When it gets cool, the vents close.” He explained that more of the Saint Mary’s community has become involved in the project, such as Facilities Services, which assists with the project in its spare time. The department has found time to fix the water, electrical, and install an evaporative cooler. Talo hopes the greenhouse will “be there another 50 years.”

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