It’s baaack. After an extensive, three-year restoration project, Balboa Park’s Botanical Building has reopened, once again firmly planting itself as one of the landmark’s icons.
The Botanical Building was designed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition as one of the park’s permanent features. It’s also one of the largest remaining structures in the world made of lath, which are those thin strips of wood on the roof’s exterior arches and center rotunda.
The $26.45 million restoration project wanted to bring the building back to its glory days and included structural improvements, redwood lath replacement, window arcade reconstruction, planter upgrades, and accessibility upgrades.
Over the course of construction, the building was fenced off and sometimes draped. Today, visitors can step inside daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and enjoy its tranquility and 2,100+ plants. As always, entry is free.
Local nonprofit Forever Balboa Park is leading the project’s second phase, which includes enhancing the surrounding gardens and restoring the historic pergola. Here’s how to help.