Lord & Burnham

Lord & Burnham was an American industrial manufacturer best known for designing and building greenhouses, conservatories, and related structural systems. The business began in 1849, when carpenter Frederick A. Lord started making wood-and-glass greenhouses for customers in Buffalo, New York. Greenhouse construction became his full-time occupation in 1856, after which the operation moved first to Syracuse and later to Irvington, New York. The move to Irvington placed the company nearer the Hudson Valley estates whose owners were important customers for ambitious horticultural structures. William Addison Burnham, Lord's son-in-law, joined the firm in 1872. The partnership expanded beyond small private greenhouses and became capable of producing large structures for wealthy landowners, institutions, botanical gardens, and public parks. A major early commission came in 1876, when California philanthropist James Lick engaged the firm to produce a conservatory modeled in part on the great glasshouses at Kew. Lick died before the structure could be erected, but the fabricated components were transported around Cape Horn and ultimately used for the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Lord & Burnham became an important early American specialist in iron- and steel-framed horticultural architecture. In 1881 it built a steel-framed curvilinear greenhouse for railroad executive Jay Gould at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York. The firm incorporated in 1883 as Lord's Horticultural Manufacturing Company and adopted the Lord & Burnham Company name in 1890. Its portfolio later included major conservatories at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, the New York Botanical Garden, Reynolda Gardens, the United States Botanic Garden, Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle, and Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati. These projects helped establish the company as a nationally significant builder of public glasshouses rather than merely a supplier of domestic garden structures. The company expanded its Irvington industrial site during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Beginning in 1894, it acquired underwater property beyond the railroad tracks and filled the area to create additional factory land. The enlarged complex was completed by 1912, when the company employed approximately 250 people. Its materials and methods evolved over time: early structures used cypress, followed by iron and steel, while aluminum experimentation began in the 1930s and became commercially practical later. Lord & Burnham also had a boiler-making connection. William Addison Burnham continued in that field, and the Burnham Commercial business associated with that line continued after the original company disappeared. Lord & Burnham itself ceased operations when its Irvington factory closed in 1988, by which point only about a dozen employees remained. The company's historical importance nevertheless continued through surviving conservatories, restoration work, archival records, and later use of its residential greenhouse designs. In 1990, the company's archives and historic architectural plans were transferred to the Archives of the New York Botanical Garden. The collection contains more than 140,000 plans covering over 7,000 glass structures. In 2018, Arcadia GlassHouse LLC acquired engineering and manufacturing assets connected with the residential greenhouse line from Under Glass Manufacturing Company. Arcadia GlassHouse continued producing replacement parts and residential greenhouse kits based on original Lord & Burnham designs, while Rough Brothers also developed products associated with the name and product line.

Lord & Burnham originated in 1849 when Frederick A. Lord, a carpenter in Buffalo, began constructing wood-and-glass greenhouses for nearby customers. By 1856, the work had become his full-time profession. The business moved to Syracuse and subsequently to Irvington, New York, where proximity to Hudson Valley estates supported growth in the custom greenhouse market. William Addison Burnham, Lord's son-in-law, joined the firm in 1872. Their partnership obtained a landmark commission in 1876 from California philanthropist James Lick for a large conservatory inspired by the glasshouses at Kew Gardens. Although Lick died before construction, the prefabricated components were shipped from New York around Cape Horn and used for San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. The company developed from a wood-and-glass greenhouse maker into a major manufacturer of metal-framed horticultural structures. In 1881 it built what is described as the first steel-framed curvilinear greenhouse in the United States, for Jay Gould's Lyndhurst estate. The company incorporated in 1883 as Lord's Horticultural Manufacturing Company and adopted the Lord & Burnham Company name in 1890. Its institutional work expanded substantially. Lord & Burnham built or worked on important conservatories for Phipps Conservatory, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, the New York Botanical Garden, Sonnenberg Gardens, Reynolda Gardens, the United States Botanic Garden, Volunteer Park Conservatory, and other public or private sites. The company used cypress in early work and later adopted iron and steel. It began experimenting with aluminum in 1932, although economic commercial production came later. Expansion at Irvington included the acquisition and filling of underwater land beginning in 1894. The enlarged factory complex was completed by 1912, when employment reached approximately 250. The business also had a boiler-making tradition associated with William Addison Burnham; the related Burnham Commercial operation continued after Lord & Burnham's closure. By 1988, the Irvington factory had only about twelve employees and closed, ending Lord & Burnham as an operating company. The historical record was preserved when the company archives and architectural plans were transferred to the Archives of the New York Botanical Garden in 1990. The collection includes more than 140,000 plans for over 7,000 glass structures. In 2018, Arcadia GlassHouse LLC acquired engineering and manufacturing assets related to the residential greenhouse range from Under Glass Manufacturing Company. The later business continued to make replacement parts and greenhouse kits based on Lord & Burnham designs. Rough Brothers also became associated with products derived from the Lord & Burnham name and line.

1. 2018Residential greenhouse assets acquired

   Arcadia GlassHouse LLC acquires engineering and manufacturing assets linked to the residential Lord & Burnham greenhouse line.

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2. 1990Archives transferred to the New York Botanical Garden

   The company's archives and historic plans are given to the Archives of the New York Botanical Garden.

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3. 1988Irvington factory closes

   The Irvington factory closes, ending Lord & Burnham's operation as a company.

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4. 1966Krohn Conservatory restoration

   Lord & Burnham carries out restoration work at Cincinnati's Krohn Conservatory.

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5. 1932Aluminum greenhouse experimentation begins

   The company experiments with aluminum greenhouse construction in work associated with the United States Botanic Garden.

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6. 1912Irvington factory expansion completed

   An expanded factory complex is completed on filled land beyond the railroad tracks, with approximately 250 employees.

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7. 1890Adoption of the Lord & Burnham name

   The company changes its name to Lord & Burnham Company.

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8. 1883Incorporation as Lord's Horticultural Manufacturing Company

   The partnership incorporates under a formal horticultural manufacturing name.

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9. 1881Lyndhurst steel-framed greenhouse

   Lord & Burnham constructs a major steel-framed curvilinear greenhouse for Jay Gould's Lyndhurst estate.

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10. 1876James Lick conservatory commission

    The firm fabricates a large conservatory for a James Lick project; its components later become part of San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers.

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11. 1872William Addison Burnham joins the firm

    Lord's son-in-law William Addison Burnham enters the business, forming the partnership that would give the company its lasting name.

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12. 1856Greenhouse work becomes Lord's full-time profession

    The greenhouse business becomes Lord's principal occupation, followed by moves to Syracuse and later Irvington.

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13. 1849Frederick A. Lord begins greenhouse construction

    Frederick A. Lord starts building wood-and-glass greenhouses for customers in Buffalo, New York.

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A specialist American manufacturer and builder of engineered glasshouses, conservatories, and related industrial equipment, positioned around custom fabrication, structural expertise, and large institutional horticultural projects.

• Residential greenhousesGreenhouse structures

  Lord & Burnham produced residential greenhouse systems for private gardeners and estates. The designs formed part of the company's later legacy and remained commercially relevant after the original company closed. Engineering and manufacturing assets for this line were acquired in 2018 by Arcadia GlassHouse LLC, which continued to offer replacement parts and residential greenhouse kits based on the original designs.

• Public conservatoriesInstitutional horticultural architecture

  The company's major conservatory work included large public and institutional glasshouses for botanical gardens, urban parks, educational institutions, and private estates. These structures combined engineered framing with extensive glazing and were often fabricated in sections for shipment and assembly at distant sites. Notable examples include work at Golden Gate Park, Phipps Conservatory, the New York Botanical Garden, and the United States Botanic Garden.

• BoilersBoiler equipment

  Boiler manufacturing was part of the company's broader industrial heritage and was especially associated with William Addison Burnham. The related Burnham Commercial business continued in boiler production after Lord & Burnham itself ceased operating, although the available material does not establish that the later business remained under Lord & Burnham ownership.

• 2018Transfer of residential greenhouse engineering and manufacturing assetsM&A

  After Lord & Burnham had ceased operating, its residential greenhouse designs and related technical assets remained commercially useful through successor businesses.

  What changed. Arcadia GlassHouse LLC acquired the residential greenhouse engineering and manufacturing assets from Under Glass Manufacturing Company and continued supplying replacement parts and kits based on Lord & Burnham designs.

  Aftermath. The transaction preserved a portion of the Lord & Burnham residential product line, while the original company remained defunct.

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• 2018Arcadia GlassHouse acquires assets connected with Lord & Burnham residential greenhouses

  Arcadia GlassHouse LLC acquired engineering and manufacturing assets for the residential greenhouse line from Under Glass Manufacturing Company. The transaction enabled continued production of replacement parts and residential greenhouse kits using original Lord & Burnham designs.

  M&AProduct generation
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1. Lord & Burnham
2. Guide to the Lord & Burnham Collection