Conceived as part of the city’s downtown revitalization plan in the 1960s, the idea for the gardens was originally brought to the table by renowned architect I.M. Pei, who patterned the Gardens after the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. Let by local businessman and oil pioneer Dean A. McGee, cultivation of the Gardens outdoor grounds and Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory was journey that took nearly twenty years.

In 1975, the City of Oklahoma City purchased a 17-acre plot in the he...