San Diego’s massive restoration of the botanical building in Balboa Park hit a key milestone on Wednesday.
Crews hoisted a restored cupola to the top of the dome in the center of the building.
That decorative piece retained its original copper-clad roof, but the wooden part of the structure was rebuilt.
The effort is a signal that the city is getting close to finishing the $28.5 million restoration of a building that’s been one of Balboa Park’s centerpieces since 1915.
“To see that symbolic moment of literally the pinnacle of the project, the cupola, being installed just symbolizes for all of us working so hard on this project, what it will mean to the community to have it complete,” said Elizabeth Babcock, the president and CEO of Forever Balboa Park.
The building was originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and the structure was sorely in need of repair.
A state grant helped pay for just over $8 million of the renovation, with the city paying the rest.
But the effort took longer and is about $7 million costlier than first anticipated.
Water was rotting the structure, which was last renovated in the 1950s.
“There were a lot of places where water was trapped, steel deteriorated and new steel needed to be put in,” said Jim Summers, a spokesman for EC Constructors, the company doing the renovation work.
The restoration project began in earnest in 2022, but the timeline to finish was extended by about eight months as engineers evaluated the steel, wood and stucco building.
The steel frame supported the wooden slats that served as a roof, which remained open to the elements.
“What we’ve done, with the coatings we’ve used, with the changes in connections. And all the new wood. This thing should last another 50 years,” Summers said.
Much of the building’s botanical collection is living elsewhere during the work.
“The plants that we removed were the ones that were rare or exceptional and those are being cared for by the parks and rec staff. And those will be moved back into the building,” Babcock said. “Some of the larger species are still on site inside the building, even during construction.”
Custom windows are being installed, and some exterior parts of the building are ready for stucco. Crews are rebuilding the floor inside the structure and the steel is wearing shiny new paint.
San Diego officials predict the structure could be ready to accept visitors near the end of summer, if inclement weather does not slow the construction timeline.
It will also take about six months to restore the gardens outside the building.
