Paul Levy, GPC Alliance board chair, described the conservatory's impact and what makes it special. "It's an architectural landmark designed by Jens Jensen, it's the third largest conservatory in the world, and it's free and open 365 days a year. ... It's an environment unlike any other and, when city kids see a tropical environment that they would never see unless they could travel to South America or the Deep South, it's an entirely different world for them," he said.