In a park long shaped by Horace W.S. Cleveland’s naturalized landscape, visitors could always find plants of interest, and although the park historically housed several greenhouses, this site became the hub over time. Today’s Botanical Center includes two greenhouses donated by Charles H. Smith in 1964 and two additions made in 2007. With the Conservatory and Mediterranean Room, it is the largest publicly owned indoor-display garden in New England. More than 150 species and cultivars provide the community with a tropical oasis and access to plants not grown in Rhode Island’s climate. The center stands on Noonan Island, named for former Superintendent of Parks Martin F. Noonan.
