Originally housed in a converted boathouse on Wade Park Lagoon, the center served as a horticultural library, offering classes and workshops for gardeners and spearheading beautification projects in the community.

[2] In 1966 having outgrown its original home, the Garden Center moved to its present location in University Circle, the site of the old Cleveland Zoo.

The expanded and renovated building, designed by Graham Gund Architects of Cambridge, Massachusetts, opened to the public in July 2003.

[1] The centerpiece of the $50 million 2003 expansion is The Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse, a 17,000 square foot (1,700 m²) conservatory home to plant and animal life from two separate biomes, the spiny desert of Madagascar and the cloud forest of Costa Rica.

[2] The Vail Medal is awarded for "significant national contributions to the field of horticulture"[2] Past winners include Lynden B. Miller The gardens were featured in a fifth-season episode of Supernatural, titled "Dark Side of the Moon".