Horticultural Hands-On Lab Lath House, New Orleans Botanical Garden

A relic of the 1930’s Works Projects Administration, the Lath House of the New Orleans Botanical Garden was originally used for growing camellias. When the need for more educational space grew from the success of the adjacent Garden Study Center, the Garden Study Club of New Orleans proposed phase II of their major commitment to the NOBG (phase I being the establishment of the Garden Study Center in 1992.)

The 1997 Founders Fund Award went to converting the Lath House into a horticultural hands-on lab and, in doing so, set up a teaching complex and focal point for horticultural excellence on the grounds of the New Orleans Botanical Garden. Renovation included creating a central laboratory space with a solid roof and concrete floor as well as an air-conditioned classroom and office, handicapped-accessible restroom and storage space for equipment.

After Hurricane Katrina ravaged City Park and the New Orleans Botanical Garden with floodwaters from the Gulf of Mexico, a major rebuilding effort began. The Lath House has been restored to its former splendor and is in constant use for a variety of purposes. It is maintained by the Botanical Garden.