Toronto Star

Don't be surprised if the new Allan Gardens Children's Conservatory looks familiar; it is. Before the landmark greenhouse was moved to the park at Jarvis and Carlton Sts. earlier this year, it had spent seven decades at University Ave. and College St., a fixture on the northwest corner since it was erected there in 1932. When the University of Toronto decided in the late 1990s that the botanical palace had to go to make room for its new Leslie Dan Pharmaceutical Building, the future of the greenhouse looked grim. U of T wasn't interested in doing anything with the structure and the city, of course, was too poor to help out. Then Councillor Kyle Rae got involved and things quickly started to change. First the university decided to do the right thing and contributed money for the building to be saved. After that, a couple of sponsors were lined up: the TD Bank and the Donner Foundation.