Allan Gardens’ crown jewel shines once more after careful restoration
Daily Commercial News | July 2025
After being closed for two-and-a-half years for a multi-phase restoration, the crown jewel of Toronto’s Allan Gardens Conservatory recently reopened to the public.
Constructed in 1909, the Palm House is the central link to a series of greenhouses set among towering trees in the east end park. Patterned after the palm houses built in Britain in the Victorian era, the steel and glass dome structure is used for growing and displaying palms and other tropical plants.
There are three domes, a large central one and two small ones.
But the Palm House was also experiencing a series of operational issues, not the least of which was the deteriorating state of the dome glazing and wood frame windows.
“There were leaks,” says Matthew Firestone, associate architect with Zeidler Architecture Inc., the prime consultant/architect of record.
AREA Architects was the heritage architect, RJC Engineers was the structural and building envelope consultant and the HIDI Group was the mechanical and electrical consultant.
There was also a need to modernize the mechanical, electrical and ventilation systems, improve accessibility, increase user comfort, restore its defining heritage elements and ensure the building’s long-term performance and safety, he says.
Beginning in 2019 a series of studies were undertaken by RJC Engineers including a building condition review and an assessment of the structural steel framing supporting the domes.
A key recommendation was to remove the original single pane glass and upgrade the glazing to laminated safety glass for building code compliance. For that to happen a preliminary finite analysis had to be conducted to ensure the domes could support the heavier laminated glass, says Firestone.
Instead of a series of ongoing ad hoc repairs, the RJC studies recommended a “comprehensive restoration approach focusing on major conservation, system repairs and upgrades to achieve contemporary standards for accessibility, life safety and sustainability.”