The Botanical Building prior to construction (Google Images)
Botanical Gardens, Balboa Park

Update on Balboa Park’s Botanical Building

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

While it may seem like it’s taking forever for the historic Botanical Building and Gardens to reopen its doors to the public and return to the Instagram-worthy edifice it used to be, that time is finally getting closer.

Built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, the lath-structured attraction closed to the public in early 2022 due to desperately needed interior and exterior repairs. The first phase of the project is coming along nicely. It’s due for completion in the first quarter of next year, according to onsite workers. At that point, the public can once again enjoy free admission into the sprawling greenhouse while crews reconstruct the exterior pergola and lawn gardens. 

Because the second phase will involve enhanced outdoor plantings and irrigation adjustments, those overseeing the project can only say for now that those exterior areas will be completed “sometime in 2024.”

Several entities have kicked in for the funding; Forever Balboa Park initially raised $600,000 for the project; the city of San Diego committed to more than $13 million; and the State of California granted the project $8.26 million for Phase 1.

When all is said and done, the building’s 7,722-square-foot configuration will more closely resemble its original 1915 design.