Historic Balboa Park Botanical Building Topped Anew As Restoration Nears Completion

The city of San Diego on Wednesday reached a milestone in the Balboa Park Botanical Building project with the reinstallation of the cupola that sits atop the historic structure.

The cupola, more than 100 years old, was removed in November 2022 for restoration. Crews used a crane to place it back on the building.  

Andy Field, director of the parks and recreation department, and Edgar Lozano, a senior civil engineer, offered tours of the site after the placement of the cupola.

The Botanical Building has been closed to the public since January 2022. Workers relocated many of the plants from inside the structure to an offsite nursery to prepare the building for renovation. Major reconstruction is anticipated to be completed later this year.

Built in 1915 as part of the Panama-California Exposition, the Botanical Building is one of only four structures that were designed to remain as permanent features in the park.

Recognized as one of the largest wood lath structures in the world, the building was designed to showcase the importance of horticulture and is home to hundreds of plants, including rare, tropical and indigenous fauna.

The building underwent a major renovation in the 1950s with smaller projects completed in the 2000s.

The current project, to restore the building to its original design, was estimated to cost $28.45 million. The city’s nonprofit partner, Forever Balboa Park, has managed portions of the work.