There is a quiet bustling at the northern end of Balboa Park as a multi-year project nears its grand reveal. Groundskeepers, lighting techs, and botanists line the walkways as workers scale ladders to bring state-of-the-art lighting to a building that used to fall dark by dusk. A light mist travels through the air as reverse-osmosis irrigation systems shower tropical plants. Koi fish circle the adjacent lily pond like synchronized swimmers, and sunlight falls through the curved glass windows and brushes the grand fountain inside.
After 32 months and $28 million, the Balboa Park Botanical Building is ready for opening night.
The Palladian palace made its debut at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. “It was a place to display all of the horticultural and botanical wonders that San Diego’s climate allows us to grow,” says Jacqueline Higgins, the landscape architect who led the restoration project. It is one of the largest lath structures on the planet to this day.
But after almost a century of wear, the overgrown building was in need of a significant refresh. Over the years, the city has made attempts to fix the damage brought on by termites and weather, patching structural weaknesses as they arose. However, those efforts were usually compromised by limited funding. Over time, the building was stripped of key architectural features, including the graceful arcades that once engulfed the structure. In 2022, with the support of Forever Balboa Park, the project launched, with the goal of returning the building to its original grandeur.
Balboa Park unveiled the renovation to the public in December. “It’s such an incredible asset that the city has been able to bring back and continue to allow free and open access to the community and visitors from around the world. To be a part of that is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Higgins says.
Soon, work will begin on phase two, which will restore the gardens lining the institution’s perimeter. “It’s not just [about] the building,” Higgins adds. “The setting around the building really creates a magical space.”
