Center for Conservation at the Cincinnati Nature Center
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Interior DesignCenter for Conservation at the Cincinnati Nature Center
Luminaut guided the renovation of Groesbeck Lodge, a 1920s English revival country house at Rowe Woods. Grace Groesbeck and her husband built the house in 1920. It emphasized craftsmanship, creative expression, and the use of natural materials found locally. Grace lived there until her death in 1957. The Girl Scouts acquired the property for use as a camp and later sold it to the Cincinnati Presbytery. They operated the property as the Wildwood Christian Camp and Conference Center from 1960 until 2004. The Nature Center acquired the Groesbeck estate in 2005.
The building had to be functional to meet multi-faceted needs of the new center. Budget was a significant concern. The next priorities were sustainability, environmental friendliness, and historic preservation. It would require new wiring, plumbing, electrical service, windows, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and structural modifications, both interior and exterior. With both Groesbeck Lodge and Krippendorf Lodge, the Nature Center has two estates on the National Register of Historic Places.
Much of the historically significant ironwork produced by Marie Zimmerman has been preserved and can be seen inside and outside the lodge. Though not part of the original plan for the restoration, a large deck was added to the rear of the lodge and provides outdoor space for the center’s conferences and events and generates revenue when used for private functions.