Longwood Garden’s $250 million expansion is moving along smoothly. The project includes adding 17 acres to the esteemed botanical garden, writes Emma Dooling for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

This includes a 32,000-square-foot conservatory, private event space, education & administration building, bonsai courtyard, and a new restaurant. Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience is set to make its debut in the Fall of 2024.

The restaurant, “1906,” is seeing a major revamp. It is being reconstructed to seat 185 people and build a private dining area with a view of the kitchen.  

The menu will have locally sourced ingredients that follow a “garden theme.” Interior décor will also follow that theme, with abstract tree designs on the carpets and on the walls.  

Other parts of the grounds are in progress. The West Conservatory will feature Mediterranean-style gardens. Glass panels are currently being installed on the structure. Interior plants are set to be installed around the end of this year.  

The Education and Administration building will feature a 10,000-plus volume resource library full of historical archives, two virtual learning studios, classrooms, and a digital image library.

The Cascade Garden, belonging to the Bonsai Courtyard, will be relocated to a glass house.  

Read more about progress at Longwood Gardens in the Philadelphia Business Journal.  

Longwood Reimagined: Steel and glass