A Victorian Glass House

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Step inside the Conservatory of Flowers, and you're stepping into the oldest building in Golden Gate Park. Completed in 1879, this stunning Victorian wood-and-glass structure was one of the first municipal conservatories in the United States. It’s a sanctuary for about 1,700 species of aquatic and tropical plants, keeping them thriving regardless of the fog outside.

It remains the oldest remaining municipal wooden conservatory in the country, a fragile-looking shell that has protected thousands of exotic blooms for over a century. It's a little slice of the tropics right here in the city.

Updated June 2026