franklin park conservatory, 1895
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What does the word “horticulture” mean?

• Horticulture is the based on the Latin words for garden and growing. “Horius” means “garden.” “Cultura” means “culture” or “growing.” Horticulture is the art or science of growing orchards, flowers, or vegetables.

In 1992, Franklin Park was the site of Ameriflora, a large celebration marking the 500th anniversary of what famous event?

• Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage to North America in 1492. The year 1992 marked 500 years since his voyage.  It was celebrated in Columbus, Ohio because Columbus is the largest city in the United States named for Christopher Columbus.

Why don’t all houses look alike?

• Think about it—do all people dress alike? Do they prefer the same foods? Do they like the same colors? Many houses in one neighborhood may look somewhat the same if they were built in the same years or by the same architect, but over time, people choose to paint their houses a different color from their neighbors, add an addition or change the shape of a window, add a fence or garden, or even cover over the original siding of the house from wood to aluminum or stone.  Travel outside one neighborhood to another, and the houses may change completely.  They might be larger, connected together like a row of houses, or even be stacked on top of each other (an apartment building).  Houses are different because of when they were built, who designed the house, what materials might have been available at the time, new methods of construction, and individual preferences in style and design.  You could draw your home, your school, or a firehouse (because Columbus has so many of its original firehouses, there seems to be one in every neighborhood)—but you could also draw what you would like your own house to look like in the future.

Why do some buildings have towers and others have smooth walls and more glass?

• If you decided to draw your house in the future, would it have towers? Towers were once built on the houses of rich people who knew it made their house look move expensive or who wanted to enjoy the view over their neighborhood. In Europe, houses with towers were built as watch towers to see if an enemy was approaching.  Styles change over time.  In the 20th and 21st century, many houses and buildings can use different methods of construction that were not available before.  Remember the definition of a skyscraper? It is not just a tall building, but a building with a steel skeleton.  This means the walls hang off the building and allows for the use of much more glass. Today, different construction methods and personal taste for different styles (or parts of different styles) show that buildings can look very different from one another.

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