The Garden Gateway will create:

• A safer, more accessible entrance to the Gardens that will greatly improve the visitor arrival experience
• A new welcome center with a café, gallery space, upgraded restroom facilities and outdoor gathering plaza that will deepen visitor engagement
• Expanded classroom and learning spaces that will strengthen university and community education and partnerships
• Renovated event spaces in the Doris Duke Center that will increase capacity for rentals, events and weddings and support the long-term financial sustainability of the Gardens
• Expanded green spaces designed for events and enjoyment.

“The Garden Gateway project is a forward-looking solution that reaffirms Duke Gardens as a beautiful world-class destination that inspires transformative learning, promotes wellness, and builds community,” said Sarah P. Duke Gardens executive Bill LeFevre. “People love Duke Gardens, and the facilities have been showing signs of strain.”

In March 2024, during the peak of cherry blossom season, the gardens welcomed more than 155,000 visitors – nearly 70 percent more than a year before.

“We have listened to students, faculty, alumni and the community to envision how the gardens can evolve to better meet their needs and retain the qualities that make it a special place,” LeFevre noted.

The $30 million project, which was funded by private contributions, including lead gifts from The Duke Endowment, will elevate Duke Gardens as a vibrant hub for students, the university community, and the public, while retaining the character that has made it one of the region’s most beloved places.

It is also one of the first campus building projects to follow Duke University’s High Performance Building Framework, which outlines a rigorous sustainable design standard and a tracking and rating system to examine how facilities perform in the long term.

Duke Gardens will remain open during the renovations.

During the Garden Gateway construction period, the main entrance to Duke Gardens at 420 Anderson Street and the gardens parking lots will be closed. Visitors may enter Duke Gardens on foot through the temporary pedestrian entrance at 2000 Lewis Street, which will be constructed this October and November, and through the garden gates leading to West Campus along Flowers Drive.

Public parking will be available to visitors on weekends only in the nearby Duke University H-lot, located on Anderson Street and Yearby Avenue. Once the renovations are underway, visitors are strongly encouraged to visit Duke Gardens on weekends when public parking is available or use alternative means of transportation.

Limited programs and events will continue throughout construction, with the full schedule available on the Duke Gardens website. Most public tours and school programs will pause until the renovations are completed.

Visitors are advised to check the Duke Gardens website for updates and important information as the project takes shape. To learn more, sign up for Garden Gateway email updates.