Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care recently dedicated a new rooftop healing garden and conservatory at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, located on the south side of Milwaukee.
The Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds Healing Garden and the Agnes and Morland Hamilton Healing Conservatory feature a panoramic downtown Milwaukee view, lush greenery and a calming fountain.
"We want our patients and their families to have a tranquil, calm oasis they can come to when they are at the hospital," says Mary O’Brien, chief administrative officer for Aurora St. Luke’s. "They come to us for medical care to heal their bodies. This garden gives them a place to find spiritual healing as well."
The 14,000-square-foot healing garden, on an eighth floor rooftop, includes a 4,000-square-foot glass conservatory for year-round access to the garden’s trees, shrubs, flowers and water features. The sweeping view includes Miller Park, downtown Milwaukee and Lake Michigan.
"The results are fantastic," said Don Tendick Jr., the design committee chair and a major healing garden donor. "My favorite part will be seeing people enjoy it."
The garden contains water features, more than 1,900 plants and has several environmentally friendly features, such as a green roof on the conservatory. Also, regional building materials, like Minnesota limestone, were used in the construction. The garden is going through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process and has earned enough points at this juncture for basic certification.
The Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds provided $1.5 million toward the $4.9 million project, and the Agnes and Moreland Hamilton estate donated $1.7 million.
