Balboa Park Botanical Building

Balboa Park Botanical Building is a winner for the 2025 Preservation Design Award for Preservation or Restoration. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. Tickets and sponsorship options are available at californiapreservation.org/programs/awards/.

About Balboa Park Botanical Building

The Botanical Building, first constructed in 1915 as part of the Panama California Exposition, deteriorated from years of water damage and exposure. Previous attempts at repair did not retain the historic character of the building. This structure is a widely beloved and key component of a Historic Place: Balboa Park. As part of the National Register, work on the Botanical Building must meet the Secretary of Interior Standards.

The project was completed through design-build, with the client and project team working closely together. 

With careful attention to detail, the team restored the structure to its original design, which once again includes an arcade with historically accurate windows and restoration of the east and west facades to their original appearance.

The team also repaired the steel frame and restored the redwood lath framing and trim, as well as refurbished a 2,000-pound copper steeple and dome cupola from 1915.

Community Importance

Balboa Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is widely recognized as the cultural center of San Diego. One of the park’s most iconic structures is the Botanical Building.

The project team operated with a sense of responsibility to restore the structure and gardens to the original 1915 design and retain the public trust that’s essential for the caretaking of such a cherished place.

With its bucolic lily pond connection to Balboa Park’s El Prado paseo, the Botanical Building is also an aesthetically important part of the park’s most iconic pedestrian experience and thoroughfare. It is a treasured landmark and part of the greater Balboa Park cultural and recreational environment.

The Botanical Building is one of San Diego’s most recognizable buildings and most serene spaces. It is loved by San Diego citizens and visitors from around the world. Because the exhibits and gardens are open to the public without a fee, many generations have come to feel a sense of nostalgia, adoration, and ownership of the structure and its botanical plant displays.

Similarly adored is the 100+ year-old Morton Bay Fig tree that stands just outside the northeast corner of the Botanical Building. It provides shade for picnickers and a connection between the Botanical Building grounds and the greater, master-planned landscape of Balboa Park. The project team adapted the design and construction methods to save this tree and accommodate its roots – some of which had grown into the building.

About CPF and the Awards

The California Preservation Awards are a statewide hallmark, showcasing the best in historic preservation. The awards ceremony includes the presentation of the Preservation Design Awards and the President’s Awards, bringing together hundreds of people each year to share and celebrate excellence in preservation.

The California Preservation Foundation (CPF), a 501c3 nonprofit, was incorporated in 1978. We now support a national network of more than 36,000 members and supporters. Click here to learn how you can become a member.