Properties/Facilities

At 4,255 square feet, Ball State’s Teaching and Research Greenhouse is home to the University’s primary Teaching Collection, which is a highly diverse collection of over 3,000 specimens representing over 100 different plant families. In this facility, Ball State students are able to examine and study plants from all over the globe. Constructed in 1992, the Teaching and Research Greenhouse also provides growing space and support for University sponsored research projects and produces laboratory material for students studying botany. Herbs are also grown in the adjoining Herb Greenhouse to the east of the Teaching and Research Greenhouse for use by University Dining Services.

History

The first Teaching Greenhouse at (then) Ball State Teachers College was an 18x34 foot gothic style greenhouse purchased from the Kitselman Estate on University Avenue (now known as the Hazelwood Estate). The greenhouse was moved to Christy Woods to serve as the campus greenhouse in the early 1950’s. A series of 3 extensions were added in 1965, 1966, and 1969. Combined, this greenhouse had a total area of 3,000 square feet. In the late 1980’s, Ball State University contracted with Rough Brothers, Inc., located in Cincinnati, Ohio, to design and build a replacement greenhouse to better meet the needs of botany classes and to address the lack of space for research.

In 1990, the original Teaching Greenhouse was razed, minus the 18x32ft addition from 1965. The current Teaching and Research Greenhouse was constructed on the footprint of the old greenhouse and opened to the public in 1992. The remaining portion of the old greenhouse (now called the Herb Greenhouse) is located on the east side of the Teaching and Research Greenhouse. Together, these spaces are 4,830 square feet.

Management

The Teaching and Research Greenhouse and Herb Greenhouse are managed using Integrated Pest Control methods. We do not use insecticides in these growing spaces. The Teaching Collection is maintained as a diverse teaching tool and is regarded highly for its educational value by other Universities. The Herb Greenhouse is used to grow herbs for Ball State University’s dining services, providing local, fresh and organically grown herbs for our students, staff, faculty and visitors.

Discover More

Photos

Experience a small tropical environment in the middle of Indiana! With over 2,000 orchids, the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse contains the largest university-based orchid collection in the United States, including the Wheeler-Thanhauser Orchid Collection and Species Bank and Betty Kendall Ladyslipper Orchid Species Collection. The collection is a living museum which provides opportunities for education and conservation of rare and endangered orchid species and has opportunities for orchid research. The Rinard Orchid Greenhouse is a designated Plant Rescue Center under CITES. We receive occasional shipments of orchids that have been imported illegally and later confiscated by the USFWS.

The 3,400-square-foot greenhouse is a resource used by students in biology, natural resources, art, technology, landscape architecture, and photography and presents a variety of educational programs open to the general public. Programs include Saturday programs, mini-educational programs, walk-in tours, and guided tours by request. Changing educational displays, student art exhibits, and other seasonal features make the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse a great place to visit throughout the year.

History

Ball State founded the Wheeler-Thanhauser Orchid Collection and Species Bank in 1970 after a donation from W.O. and Goldie Wheeler of Indianapolis, IN. Several large donations followed and increased the diversity of orchid species in the collection, including donations from Al Thanhauser (1982) of Connecticut and Charles Bracker (2008) of West Lafayette, IN. Dr. Bracker also donated 30,000 digital images of his orchids to Ball State in 2009, which are housed in the University Libraries Special Collections. In 2016, The Betty Kendall Ladyslipper Orchid Species Collection was established to celebrate local centenarian, Betty Kendall. This Special Collection is a part of the Wheeler-Thanhauser Orchid Collection and Species Bank (WOCSB)

On May 30, 2014, the Dr. Joe and Alice Rinard Orchid Greenhouse was dedicated to house the WOCSB. Both Dr. Joe and Alice Rinard are alums of Ball State University. Dr. Rinard gifted funds for the greenhouse to honor his wife, Alice, who loved all things nature and beautiful. The expansion of the original Rinard Orchid Greenhouse (2014) was dedicated in June 2022. The expansion doubled the size of the Conservatory and built the Environmental Education Center (aka Nature Lab) and outdoor classroom. The expansion has increased the staff’s capabilities for creating public and scheduled environmental education programs.

Discover More

Photos

The Environmental Education Center (EEC) is the newest addition to our FSEEC properties. Affectionately nicknamed the “Nature Lab,” the EEC is an indoor learning space connected to the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse and located within Christy Woods.

Inside the Nature Lab, visitors of all ages can learn about any and all topics related to Indiana ecology. Using a variety of live displays and teaching props, we provide hands-on educational programs and experiences that align with state learning standards. Visitors can observe the secret lives of honeybees in our observational hive, and watch as they travel outside in search of flowers. In addition, our native Eastern Box Turtle, Beaker, and our native frogs and toads live inside the Nature Lab, waiting for visitors to search for them inside their enclosures.

This new facility would not have been possible without our community and our donors. With their support, we are now able to greatly increase the number of programs that we can offer our visitors year-round, and a variety of resources that were simply out of reach prior to this project. To learn more about how you can support the EEC and the Field Station as a whole, check out our Join/Give page here.

Discover More

Photos

Click on the images below to learn more about our off-campus Field Station Properties. Off-campus properties are only accessible with permission from our Land Manager.