The Centennial Botanical Conservatory was conceived by the Fort William Board of Parks Management as a centennial project to commemorate Canada's 100th birthday. It officially opened on November 18, 1967 with Mayor Saul Laskin declaring that the facility "would soon become a regional attraction".
Designed by Lord & Burnham, a renowned American greenhouse manufacturer, it reportedly was constructed with 18 tons of glass and steel from St. Catherines, and 3 tons of amethyst and freshly split granite mined locally, for a cost of $162,000. By 1977 it boasted 800 species of tropical plants.
The central and largest room in the Conservatory is the tropical house - a humid arboretum featuring exotic flowers, trees, shrubs and other plants from around the world in a year-round tropical setting.The greenhouses adjacent to the Conservatory are used by staff to raise bedding plants and hanging floral displays for use in Thunder Bay parks.