Known as San Francisco's "other conservatory," the Sunnyside Conservatory underwent a dramatic renovation in 2009. And come Saturday, December 5, the newly refurbished conservatory will be open for business, complete with a kickoff party featuring conservatory tours, a ribbon cutting ceremonies, and... high tea! Best of all, it's just a few blocks away from the Glen Park BART station, and easily accessible if you take a ride on the Muni #23 Monterey.

Above are a few shots of the new digs that we managed to capture while standing outside the gates.

Oh, and here's a little history on the Sunnyside Conservatory, care of the SF Neighborhood Parks Council.

It's still there. The beautiful, 100-year- old landmark on Monterey Boulevard has survived six owners, the 1906 earthquake and is sometimes known as "the other conservatory." In 1891, H. Taylor bought the seven lots on which the conservatory is located from the Sunnyside Land Development Company and later sold them after erecting the still-standing Victorian. Around the turn of the century, the new owner, W.A. Merralls, constructed Sunnyside Conservatory at a cost of $7,000. He installed concrete walkways, landscaped the grounds, planted trees inside the building to complement those outside, and added an observatory tower to the house. Merralls was killed in a train accident in 1914 and, with his company heavily mortgaged the bank foreclosed on the estate.