The city took possession in 1897 and engaged the famed Frederick Law Olmsted for initial design and landscaping.

In the 1970s the city decided it could no longer afford the garden, and initially proposed plowing it under, until volunteers banded together and came to the rescue.

Today the Helen S Kaman Rose Garden, named after the first Conservancy president, thrives and has become one of the top tourist attractions in Connecticut.

In 2011, the name was changed to Elizabeth Park Conservancy to reflect their expanded mission and purpose beyond the rose garden.

Today the park encompasses many garden areas, pathways, century-old Lord and Burnham greenhouses, lawns, bowling greens, tennis courts, a picnic grove, and a scenic pond.

In addition to their mission to maintain and preserve the gardens and the park, the Conservancy prides itself on bringing people from all backgrounds together as a community.

[2] The East Lawn was designed by Theodore Wirth in 1896 and has been a communal space since the park opened in 1897.

A formal promenade and flower beds are placed on the highest point of East Lawn.

[3] Under the vantage point of Sunrise Overlook, a vista of the city is placed, complete with bordering trees.

The society also has a smaller set of display beds on the south side of the greenhouse, housing irises from Virginia.

Most of these beds tend to bloom from April to June, with the garden being closed for the rest of the year.

[4] The Julian and Edith Eddy Rock Garden features herbs, perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, and trees.

Over time, a semicircular segment was added to the north and south sides of the garden, to accommodate more visitors and showcase more roses.