Cleveland Botanical Garden was founded in 1930 as the Garden Center of Greater Cleveland. The Garden Center began with an extensive collection of garden books donated by Mrs. Andrew Squire.  Originally, housed in an abandoned boathouse on Wade Park lagoon in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Garden Center’s purpose was to have a space to hold a collection of books where "anyone may come to receive information on horticulture and gardening." 

In 1966, the Garden Center moved to its present location on East Boulevard, the site of the old Cleveland Zoo. Remnants of the old bear pit still remain and have been transformed into beautifully landscaped flower show gardens and a woodland garden.