Allan Gardens has been a cherished public space in Toronto for decades and now the friends of Allan Gardens say it’s time to expand the area to better serve the community

Established in 1860, Allan Gardens is Canada’s oldest public conservatory. A petition of support has been launched to expand the park’s capacity for greenery and as a third space for community.

“The park really needs some new investment, it needs some new programming and it needs to become a greater home for horticultural excellence, for engaging people with nature, to connect people with gardening in out city,” said Seana Irvine with the Friends of Allan Gardens.

The downtown park currently has about 16,000 square feet of greenhouses but, if donor funding and city approvals come through, a proposed expansion would double the indoor space to about 34,000 square feet in four new greenhouses, creating more programming and community areas.

“We’re calling it the Link Building to add more greenhouse spaces that will, among other things, reflect the diversity of plant species from across Canada,” said Irvine.

The conservatory’s infrastructure would also be improved with geothermal tubes, rainwater collection and passive solar heating and cooling with in-ground heating.

Still in early development, the project’s estimated cost is upwards of $50 million and it would take several years to complete.

Irvine says the Friends of Allan Gardens plan to fund much of their proposed expansion through donations

“We’re trying to get 10,000 signatures as a show of community support for the importance of investing in Allan Gardens,” added Irvine.

While a spokesperson for the City of Toronto tells CityNews they are aware of the petition, there’s no plan to expand the conservatory at this time.

Toronto recently completed a heritage restoration of the Palm House building in the park in 2025.

To learn more about the Allan Gardens expansion, you can visit their website.