About the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

The Dallas Arboretum is a garden for all that enriches lives through beauty, learning, and connection.

The Dallas Arboretum Today

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden supports equal opportunity and accessibility for all and promotes a safe and engaging experience that welcomes all to enjoy. The garden exists to inspire curiosity, foster connection, and create experiences that stay with people long after they leave.

One of the world’s premier botanical gardens, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden has earned wide national recognition for its horticultural excellence, beloved annual events, and wide-ranging educational programs. Horticultural research conducted in the Trial Gardens continues to advance knowledge both regionally and nationally.

Located on the shores of White Rock Lake, the Arboretum’s 66 acres include a complete life science laboratory with endless potential for discovery. The Arboretum has a 75 member Board of Directors, 220+ paid staff members, and more than 400 active volunteers.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is made possible through the generous support of its members, donors, and the Dallas Park and Recreation Department.

The Garden’s Future

As one of the nation’s newer major botanical gardens, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden carries remarkable potential for continued growth, in its gardens, its research, and its educational reach. Master Planning efforts are underway for 2027, charting the garden’s next chapter of development and discovery.

The History of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden was born from the vision of civic leaders and philanthropists who believed Dallas deserved a place where nature, beauty, and community could flourish together. Though the gardens are comparatively young among the nation’s great botanical institutions, the story behind them reaches back decades.

• In 1974, the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Society, Inc. (DABS) adopted bylaws, elected officers and incorporated as a nonprofit organization.
• In 1977, the City of Dallas Park Board recommended that the grounds of the DeGolyer Estate, which the city purchased from Southern Methodist University, be the official location of the botanical garden. The city encouraged DABS to raise funds for the initial costs.
• During 1978 and 1979, DABS membership and community awareness grew significantly, with support emerging from both the business community and local residents.
• By 1980, DABS had raised over one million dollars and acquired the adjacent 22-acre Alex Camp property, establishing the foundation for the combined 66-acre garden that exists today.
• In 1982, the City of Dallas and DABS signed a contract creating an arboretum and botanical garden on the combined 66 acres of the DeGolyer and Camp properties. The gardens opened to the public for the first time in 1984.

501(c)3 Non-profit Documentation

• Audits
• 990’s

The DeGolyer House

The home of Everette DeGolyer (1886–1956) and Nell Goodrich DeGolyer (1887–1972), the DeGolyer House was designed in 1939 to evoke a century of history from the moment of its construction. Mr. DeGolyer was a geologist who ushered the oil industry into the age of technology with the use of the seismograph to find oil. Both Mr. and Mrs. DeGolyer were very active in the city of Dallas. The 21,000-square-foot home is Latin Colonial Revival style with 13 rooms, seven baths, five fireplaces, seven chimneys and a 1,750-square-foot library. Architects Denman Scott and Burton Schutt also included central air conditioning and heating when building the house. When the DeGolyers originally purchased the property, called “Rancho Encinal” because of the many live oak trees, it was being used as a 44-acre dairy farm. The DeGolyer House is on the National Register of Historic Places as well as the Texas Register of Historic Places. The house was recently renovated to re-create the look of the 1940s.

Alex Camp House

The Alex Camp House is an 8,500-square-foot home, which sits atop a gently sloping hill providing a stunning view of White Rock Lake. It was designed and built by well-known architect John Staub, and was completed in 1938. Both Alex Camp and Roberta Coke Camp were from prominent Dallas families, and Roberta was a generous philanthropist who supported local civic and charitable organizations including the symphony, art museum, ballet and her church. The house is a harmonious combination of Latin Colonial, English Regency and Art Deco styles. It is one room deep throughout, creating three exposures for all living and bedrooms.