Golden Gate Park - East

The eastern end of Golden Gate Park holds the oldest building in the entire park, the Conservatory of Flowers. This Victorian greenhouse, a stunning confection of wood and glass, was originally ordered by the wealthy real estate mogul James Lick. He intended for it to be built in San Jose, but after a local newspaper insulted his sense of fashion, he spitefully left the prefabricated building in crates. It was donated to the city of San Francisco after his death in 1876 and finally assembled here in 1879. It remains the oldest municipal wooden conservatory in the United States and has survived fires, windstorms, and the earthquake of 1906.