The 12-acre property was originally known as the City Park Rose Garden and completed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration or WPA. Today, it is one of the last existing gardens designed with Art Deco features by the WPA. The designs were produced by Enrique Alf?rez (artist), William Wiedorn (landscape architect), and Richard Koch (architect).

Renamed as the New Orleans Botanical Garden in the 1980?s, the garden now boasts of more than 2,000 plant species from all around the globe as well as one of the largest collections of mature oak trees in the country. Visitors may also enjoy viewing the Conservatory and Pavilion of the Two Sisters, the Lath House, and the Garden Study Center. Gardens found at the site include the Yakumo Nihon Teien Japanese Garden, the New Orleans Historic Train Garden, several herb gardens, a butterfly house, a vegetable garden, and a beautiful lily pond.