At the time I worked there, the greenhouse made a small profit, which was all donated to Cathedral programs at the end of each fiscal year. All salaries, improvements, materials, and plants were paid for out of gross sales. The Greenhouse also participated in outreach activities, which brought visibility to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral has several retail operations, of which the Greenhouse is one. At the time I was there, two were managed by the Cathedral’s so-called Marketing Director, who was basically allowed to run rampant as long as she made money for the Cathedral. I respect the ethics and mission of the Cathedral. I’ll only say that the person in charge of the retail operations did not conduct herself in a way that reflected those principles. It was all about money. Any life or art or “magic” within the glass walls was a result of the people working there, who were not well paid, putting their hearts and souls into their work.

Even then, the closure of the Greenhouse was a constant threat. Despite the pleas of Greenhouse workers, much needed repairs went undone, until glass started falling down from ceiling onto shoppers’ heads. By the way, our clientele was from all over the city, and certainly not limited to “matrons” as another poster claims.

Closure of the Greenhouse has been on the agenda of Cathedral management for at least twenty years. The clock has finally ticked down. This is more about traffic control than anything else. The Greenhouse is in an awkward place, and it’s in the way during large events and presents major issues for Beauvoir student pickup and dropoff. This is not about funneling funds to much-needed programs. It is all about land.

While the greenhouse is pretty, please think about the bigger picture. What would you do in a similar situation? Do you currently work for a non-profit? Have you done analysis on how to restructure for the benefit of the organization and larger community? From her bio, the Associate Dean has. To refresh your memory, she helped the following organizations succeed: Arena Stage, Kennedy School of Government—Center for Public Leadership, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, National Children’s Museum, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, Episcopal Charities and Community Services, Federation of State Humanities Councils, and numerous other organizations.

Kiilmer, if you are truly speaking from a place of expertise, please post a professional and well thought out post that can elucidate your thoughts for a different course of action.

And their parents.

Sad to lose a bit of magic.

Why can’t people just make the connection - the Greenhouse is a RETAIL store that is obviously bleeding money. As it is not an integral part of the service the Cathedral does, they cant afford to keep it open, as resources are tight. If it were bringing in revenue to support it, then this wouldnt happening. Its really pretty simple. Any business that does not make money, closes.

I think its hilarious that all the neighborhood folks want to raise money to keep it open…how about patronizing the greenhouse to begin with, so that they wouldn’t have to close it???

I’m familiar with the Cathedral’s greenhouse, and I agree - its a great place. But, in the long run, I would much rather the Cathedral cut the greenhouse than something else, like its education programs for DC youth

Sure, it’s nice to have a convenient plant store in the city, but isn’t a church supposed to be helping the downtrodden and those with problems? Plant therapy is all well and good, but I have to think that other ministries are more likely to pay bigger dividends.