James West (aka Prince Egon von Ratibor) established an extensive rock garden in 1932 which would later become the area known today as the Deserts of the Americas collection. This garden was planted with specimens from his own personal collection and some transplanted cactus specimens from the main campus. The..Read more
In the 1920’s plans for campus development forced the Botanical Garden out of its initial central campus location. Between 1925 and 1928, under the guidance Thomas Harper Goodspeed, the Garden was relocated to its current position on 34 acres in Strawberry Canyon above the main campus. Here, he said, “the eastward moving..Read more
At the center of the original UC Botanical Garden was a large glass and steel conservatory. Built in 1894 by Lord and Burnham at a cost of $16,000, the conservatory was modeled after the London Crystal Palace. It was the result of a 1880s campaign by agriculture professor Eugene Hilgard, who lobbied..Read more
A complex effort to move Julia Morgan Hall (formerly Girton Hall) building from central campus up the hill was completed on January 12, 2014, after the rustic structure was separated into four pieces, raised, and trucked slowly up Centennial Drive to its new home in the Garden.