GREAT FALLS — For more than 120 years, the Electric City Conservatory at 1413 Fifth Avenue North has been a cornerstone of Great Falls, serving generations of families through life's most meaningful moments. While ownership has changed hands only four times since 1902, the greenhouse's mission remains unchanged: caring for plants, preserving tradition, and nurturing the community that has grown alongside it.
The historic conservatory was built in 1902 by original owners Fred and Marguerite Beryl. Fred was a miner from Butte who established what would become one of Great Falls' most enduring businesses.
Today, the conservatory is owned by Meghan Kelly, who has been connected to the space for 15 years and purchased it nearly a decade ago. When Kelly first walked through the doors, she had no background in flowers but was immediately drawn to the atmosphere.
Shiksha Mahtani reports - watch the video here:
"My first day, I didn't know anything. I didn't know any flower. I knew what a carnation was, and I knew what a daisy was and a rose," Kelly said.
What captivated her wasn't just the work, it was the environment and the people.
"Everything was nice and calm, and things are pretty in here, and people are pleasant. Yeah, we have really great customers here," Kelly said.
That sense of familiarity is something Kelly has made a priority to preserve as the years pass.
"I just want to keep it the same, so when people come in, they know that it's the same place," Kelly said.
Behind the scenes, maintaining a historic greenhouse requires constant attention, from climate control to carefully selecting plants that can thrive in Montana's challenging environment.
"So our greenhouse, we get all of our plants brought in from Florida. We do an order and we bring them in and try and figure out, you know, what people want and what people can take care of in this environment, in our zone," Kelly said.
Kelly believes what has truly kept the conservatory alive for more than a century is the deep relationship it has built with the Great Falls community.
"I think this place has lasted because our community has embraced us for so long," Kelly said.
For many families, the conservatory has been woven into the fabric of their most important celebrations and milestones.
"We've done, you know, weddings of the great grandparents. We've done the grandparents weddings. We've done pretty much every celebration that they've had. A lot of families just stick with us because we have done all that. I mean, it goes from the weddings to, you know, prom and babies being born, you know, all the way up to, you know, the very last flowers that we can do to help the family or make the family happy," Kelly said.
From generation to generation, the Electric City Conservatory has remained a place of connection, care, and shared memories. After more than a century in Great Falls, it continues to be where tradition and community flourish together.
This broadcast news story has been lightly edited for online publication with the assistance of AI for clarity, syntax, and grammar.
