Perched at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park, at Vancouvers highest point, the Bloedel Conservatory feels permanent, like it’s always been part of the city’s identity.
(Dean Herman)
Opened in 1969, The domed lush paradise is home to over 500 different species of tropical plants, a large group of exotic koi fish, and dozens of birds. This includes standout like the green winged and black and gold macaws, the Sulphur-crested cockatoo, and the talking African Grey parrot.
When you break it down, Bloedel Conservatory isn’t just a tropical escape.
It’s basically a living, breathing art gallery. Rows of perfectly placed landscaped garden beds lead to a waterfall spilling into a fantastical koi pond
However, in 2009, due to construction on the Canada Skytrain line, the gardens became difficult to get to, causing the attendance, and therefore, the revenue to drop.
The final nail in the coffin was that the conservatory needed upgrades and repairs to the roof. With the city fresh off hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, there was no budget to allocate the funds to do so.
The Vancouver Park Board was left with no choice but to vote to close the conservatory.
The public backlash was strong and immediate. At the forefront of it was a group calling themselves the friends of the Bloedel, raising funds in hope of keeping the place alive.
The group brought in over $80,000 in funds. This, alongside a new budget proposal, was enough for the Park Board to reverse its decision.
Andrew Fleming, the superintendent of garden operations at the Bloedel, said in an interview with me that, “It would have been sort of a scar- sort of a black mark on the park board” when asked about what it would have meant to the city if the place had shut closed for good. Andrew stated he was finishing his internship at the conservatory at the time the shutdown was imminent, giving insight that the place could have been turned into a concert venue, or skate park.
The Bloedel was later partnered with the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA) to avoid a potential closure from happening again.
Today, the place is thriving better than ever and even went through a short closure in 2024 to improve walkways. Over the years, the Bloedel has even found some stardom in film, appearing in TV shows such as Supergirl, Fringe, and Supernatural, where it was used as Heaven’s garden. That’s got to be a glowing endorsement.
The Bloedel conservatory is a unique piece of structural architecture and has become a landmark for the city in Vancouver, not only in the literal sense but also the cultural one.