Purchase Tickets
Last October, Bellingrath Gardens & Home unveiled its Centennial Master Plan to the public with much excitement and energy. Since then, we have been working intensely on design for Phase 1 (The Historic Core), but we also have been exploring possibilities with both the future Children’s and Family Garden and even the Camellia Arboretum. To say that we have seen interest in this plan is an understatement!
However, while the concepts of restoring features and spaces (like we did recently with the Summer House) and building new spaces are work enough, there also remains the fact that BGH’s systems, infrastructure, and operational facilities need attention. As such, Dr. Cory Sparks, BGH’s Director of Development and I, with help from Tom McGehee, BGH’s Bellingrath Home Museum Director, have been working diligently on a campaign we call “Laying the Groundwork for the Centennial Master Plan.” This campaign will see seven projects completed. Of course, there are many more projects, but we had to start with a prioritized list.
1. Engineering and design of new electrical infrastructure from our point of connection with Alabama Power inward and throughout the entire BGH campus
2. Underground surveying work of the Phase 1 Historic Core area so that unmapped, legacy infrastructure can be identified and located
3. Installation of new LED light fixtures and connection via buried electrical infrastructure to light our overflow parking lot
4. Architectural redesign of the “Security Building” to accommodate six new offices
5. Documentation and needs assessments of eight existing BGH buildings
6. Installation of wireless solenoid valves for irrigation improvements to the Great Lawn
7. Conceptual design of a new Maintenance Facility and Complex
Collectively, major funding has been secured – totaling over $160,000 or 62% of the goal as we await word from other grantors. We thank The J.L. Bedsole Foundation ($100,000), Hargrove Engineers ($25,000), The A.S. Mitchell Foundation ($17,500), The Dr. Monte L. Moorer Foundation Charitable Trust ($10,000), The Laidlaw Foundation ($5,000), and The Julien E. Marx Foundation Trust ($3,000) for this crucial and forward-looking support of Bellingrath Gardens & Home!
Hargrove Engineers (Mobile, AL) has already commenced work on the electrical infrastructure design. In related projects, E.F. Thompson Geotechnologies (Mobile, AL) has been hired to complete underground surveying, and McCollum Electric (Mobile, AL) will install the lighting in the overflow parking lot.
And, this support comes on top of $50,000 contributed by The Hearin-Chandler Foundation to the Summer House project, $21,000 awarded from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust (Larkspur, CA) in a nationally competitive grant cycle for greenhouse cooling systems improvements, $7,500 from The Williams Companies Foundation (Tulsa, OK) for improvements to the Bayou Boardwalk, and our December 2025 completion of the $100,000 challenge grant from The Daniel Foundation of Alabama for design work of Phase 1 of the Master Plan. We also raised $25,000 for improvements to our “headhouse” building (which supports greenhouse operations) through crowdfunding via small donors!
Y’all, all I can say is that it is happening! We really are seeing historic levels of success with our fundraising at BGH, and I truly do believe that the best is yet to come. We are also experiencing a record-setting year for our Membership program, with us being 49% over target as of March 1st! The love that people feel for Bellingrath and the notion that Bellingrath is an integral part of Mobile and the greater Gulf Coast region are palpable realities. We will continue to advocate for support from donors and members like you, and so many others who are looking at our momentum with excitement and anticipation.
Thank you.
Todd