In 2002 Lindie Wilson, owner of the Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden, contacted the Garden Conservancy to plan for the future preservation of the house and garden.  The Garden Conservancy responded by offering help through its Preservation Assistance Program and assembled a roundtable of interested individuals and organizations including Preservation NC, The Charlotte Mecklenburg Landmarks Commission and Wing Haven Foundation to determine whether there was significant public interest and support to preserve the garden.

The Friends of Elizabeth Lawrence were officially organized into a steering committee in the fall of 2004. Over the next year the group developed a mission statement and specific goals that will insure the house and garden’s preservation. The group received start up funds for historical research from the National Trust for Preservation, the Southern Garden History Society and the Arts and Science Council.