The History of White River Gardens

White River Gardens was the first major development undertaken by the Indianapolis Zoological Society since the Zoo opened at its present location in 1988. It is located adjacent to the White River levee that flanks the eastside of the Zoo and extends south to Washington Street and north to the main Zoo entrance. The Zoo and the Gardens share the same main entrance at 1200 West Washington Street and the same parking lot.  The Gardens was a separate attraction from 1999 to 2006, but it is now included as part of the Indianapolis Zoo.

Funded by donations and grants, the $14+ million plus project broke ground in October 1997 and opened on June 13, 1999. White River Gardens includes a glass-enclosed conservatory; outdoor design gardens; water garden; a wedding garden for ceremonies and receptions; a gift shop; extensive winding paths and walkways; and, an indoor/outdoor dining facility with a dramatic view of the downtown skyline and the riverfront. 

The Gardens complements current downtown and White River State Park developments, including continuing the momentum of downtown development through the Central Waterfront Project.  White River Gardens, along with other projects such as the NCAA national headquarters, the Indiana State Museum, Conseco Fieldhouse and others, secure downtown’s appeal as an entertainment destination for visitors, enhance the city’s already solid reputation as a convention destination, and create additional appeal for new downtown businesses and residents.

With the renovation of the old Washington Street Bridge and improvements along the “zoo reach,” (the land on the west levee of White River between the old Washington Street Bridge and Washington Street), White River Gardens is accessible from the east side of the Park, as well as from the Zoo's current parking lot. The Gardens ultimately will also be accessible through the city of Indianapolis’ ever-expanding greenways system.

Rundell Ernstberger Associates in conjunction with Woollen, Molzan and Partners, Moore Engineers, TT-CBM Engineers and Lynch, Harrison and Brumleve, Inc., the team selected to design the new facility, worked very hard to get every detail for the garden planned. In October 1997, the firm of Hagerman Construction Company was named general contractor for the project.  The designers intended to present traditional garden elements in a contemporary way, and White River Gardens is not the traditional garden that most people imagine. While visitors will recognize a traditional formality in the Garden design, they will find much of the detail refreshingly new. It's really more of an “idea” garden where visitors can see and experience innovative garden displays and gather information so that they can duplicate some of the ideas at home.

History of the Indianapolis Zoo