More than 100 people gathered Friday afternoon on a small hill near Poly Canyon Village to witness the groundbreaking of the new Cal Poly Plant Conservatory.

The ceremony included speeches from Matt Ritter, Ph.D., Biological Sciences professor and director of the Cal Poly Plant Conservatory, several current and former students, donors Bob and Joan Field, who gave the new conservancy its first plant, and Dean Wendt, Ph.D., dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.

“This facility has always been about students,” Ritter said, addressing the crowd.

The Cal Poly Plant Conservatory originally existed in the heart of campus. It was torn down over the summer to make room for the new William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation. In the interim, about 1,500 plants are temporarily being housed at the Soil Science Greenhouse.

“The conservatory is a really special place where students learned botany, were exposed to diversity from all over the world, and were inspired,” said Jenn Yost, Ph.D., associate professor in Biological Sciences and director of the Robert F. Hoover Herbarium.

The new conservatory, which overlooks the Chorro Valley and boasts stunning vistas of nearby Cerro San Luis and Bishop Peak, will also have a large outdoor research space as well as a living wall, donated by Habitat Horticulture.

Habitat Horticulture’s founder, Cal Poly alum David Brenner, spoke at the groundbreaking.

“When I was here at Cal Poly, I had the opportunity to Learn by Doing,” Brenner said, noting that Ritter gave him the opportunity to build his first living wall on campus.

“I’m happy I could be a part of this, and I hope the living wall will draw people in,” he added.  “They’ll see the living wall, then come inside and get hooked on plants.”

University President Jeffery Armstrong closed the ceremony by thanking the students and faculty involved in the conservatory.

“A hundred years from now, students will still be coming here,” he said. “This place does matter.”

The ceremony concluded by having all attendees take a group photo. Shovels were set up off to one side, and Yost encouraged the people gathered to grab one and dig up a little piece of dirt, so they could play their own part in the ceremony. Attendees were also encouraged to fill out messages to future plant lovers, to be placed in a time capsule on the site.

“We think that the new facility is going to be exceptional and are so excited about its opening,” Yost said.

The new conservatory is expected to open next fall.