diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index 52293483f..ce8a0e791 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -554,6 +554,11 @@ config_options = [
         static libaries and avoids a bug with using valgrind with
         the -static linking flag.""",
         True),
+    BoolVariable(
+        'install_gtest',
+        """Determines whether to install the Google Test library and headers
+           alongside Cantera's libraries. Not recommended.""",
+        False),
     BoolVariable(
         'single_library',
         """If set, include code from the 'ext' folder in the cantera library
diff --git a/ext/SConscript b/ext/SConscript
index b4b4beea5..45916f9d7 100644
--- a/ext/SConscript
+++ b/ext/SConscript
@@ -151,32 +151,21 @@ for subdir, extensions, prepFunction in libs:
         # Build the shared library
         liby = build(localenv.SharedLibrary(pjoin('..', 'lib', sharedLibName), objects))
         install('$inst_libdir', liby)
-#   ---------------------------------------------------
-# GTEST
-#   ---------------------------------------------------
-# OK, handle the construction of the gtest library. Gtest applications require the construction of 
-# a library object that will get linked in at link time and a set of include files that will available
-# at compile time.
-#
-#  Create a local environment for creating the libgtest.a static library
-#      -> we need to the gtest include files
-#      -> I don't know about pthreads within gtest.
+
+# Google Test: Used internally for Cantera unit tests. Optionally, the headers
+# and compiled library can be installed alongside Cantera using the scons
+# option 'install_gtest=y'.
 localenv = env.Clone()
 localenv.Prepend(CPPPATH=[Dir('#ext/gtest'),
                           Dir('#ext/gtest/include')],
                  CPPDEFINES={'GTEST_HAS_PTHREAD': 0})
-#
-#  Create a build object for libgtest.a and a source file, gtest-all.cc that includes all of the gtest sources
-#
-llib = build(localenv.Library(pjoin('../lib', 'gtest'),
-                              source=['gtest/src/gtest-all.cc']))
-#
-#  Add libgtest.a to the install directions
-#
-install('$inst_libdir', llib)
-#
-#  Add all of the gtest include files to the install directions
-#
-install(localenv.RecursiveInstall, '$inst_incroot', '#/ext/gtest/include')
-#   ---------------------------------------------------
 
+gtest = build(localenv.Library(pjoin('../lib', 'gtest'),
+                              source=['gtest/src/gtest-all.cc']))
+
+if localenv['install_gtest']:
+    # install the static library
+    install('$inst_libdir', gtest)
+
+    # install the header files
+    install(localenv.RecursiveInstall, '$inst_incroot', '#/ext/gtest/include')