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Bellingrath Gardens & Home is a historic estate and gardens, opened to the public since the spring of 1932. It is also a beloved cultural attraction and community asset for Mobile and the Greater Gulf Coast region and a nationally renowned and internationally recognized destination. For a select number of people, however, BGH is a nonprofit organization that serves as their place of work that provides for their livelihoods and professional careers. To our visitors, much of the “behind the scenes” operational aspects of BGH are unknown.
In late July, leadership staff at Bellingrath took a major step forward in envisioning the future of the “workplace” aspect of the organization – the “back-of-shop” spaces that allow much of the magic that our visitors and guests enjoy to come into fruition. The structures that comprise this space, unfortunately, are showing their age and need to be rebuilt. Working with Tres Fromme (3.fromme Design), Steven Lee Johnson (Sitework Studios), Ben Cummings (Cummings Architecture), and Jim Shepherd (Orion Engineers), we embarked on a process to design a new facility that will house BGH’s Maintenance, Horticulture, and Lighting Events departments. This project was able to proceed thanks to support of our many donors to 2026’s “Laying the Groundwork for the Centennial Master Plan” fundraising campaign.
Taking an assortment of facilities dating from the 1940s to the 2000s forward into a conceptual plan that will guide future architecture, engineering, and ultimately construction is no easy task. Through Tres’ leadership, however, we have now created the initial framework for this future space – one that will see transformation improvements to workflow, efficiency, productivity, and interdepartmental collaboration. Yes, back-of-shop facilities aren’t something that generally gets visitors and donors excited, but as I had to do previously both in Oklahoma and North Carolina at prior public garden workplaces, developing modern facilities is crucial to our future and continuance as a leading Gulf Coast nonprofit organization!
Per the images shown below, you can see a 2026 Google Earth view of the current set of buildings – metal pole barns, plastic and glass greenhouses, etc. – that comprise our back-of-shop spaces. The second attachment shows a prioritized condition rating of all of these existing facilities, with red dots meaning the facilities are in greatest need of replacement while green-dotted ones are physically in a reasonable state of use and condition.
We are excited to be embarking on this planning process, and we again thank the foundations that supported the “Laying the Groundwork for the Centennial Master Plan” capital campaign. We feel strongly that your support of us through major donations will continue, allowing us to realize the goals and dreams of this planning process! Thus far, for instance, we are proud to be able to say that $38,000 has been invested in electrical infrastructure improvements at BGH – these upgrades following on from the electrical infrastructure master plan that we completed back in the spring to early summer months. We likewise feel that the forthcoming plans will lead to exciting opportunities for you to continue to support Bellingrath’s positive momentum!
We are excited to be embarking on this planning process, and we again thank the foundations that supported the “Laying the Groundwork for the Centennial Master Plan” capital campaign. Thus far, for instance, we are proud to say that $38,000 has been invested in electrical infrastructure improvements at BGH—upgrades that follow the electrical infrastructure master plan we completed in the spring to early summer. We likewise feel that the forthcoming plans will lead to exciting opportunities for you to continue to support Bellingrath’s positive momentum, and we feel strongly that your support through major donations will help us realize the goals and dreams of this planning process!