ST. LOUIS, MO | The Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden provides a new entry experience to one of the country’s most significant horticultural institutions.  With a fresh approach that prioritizes the Garden’s mission “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life,” the center and gardens are now the primary gateway for more than one million annual visitors.

Through careful consideration of grading and floor elevation, the new visitor center streamlines a previously complicated arrival sequence.  The result is a powerful and elegant entry experience with significant plantings at the front of the building, inviting visitors with a taste of what is inside.

The new woodland and grassland gardens that surround the center emphasize plant diversity, visual cohesion, and clear orientation for the visitor. Together, these gardens host a living collection of over 46,000 plants representing over 300 species from around the world, including many that are endangered. 

Emphasizing accessibility - gently sloping paths, local limestone benches, and generous terraces are provided where visitors can linger, immersed in the garden’s collection. The terraces provide a new level of flexibility for the Garden’s outdoor program. Seasonal events, weddings, and educational programming now enjoy more generous spaces along with the pride of place that comes from proximity to the expanded gardens and conservatory.