Balboa Park's Botanical Building gets ready for grand reopening
The long-awaited grand reopening of the iconic Botanical Building at Balboa Park is just around the corner, signaling the $28 million renovation project is nearly complete.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The long-awaited grand reopening of the iconic Botanical Building at Balboa Park is just around the corner, signaling the $28 million renovation project is nearly complete.
Earlier this week, the city of San Diego announced the Botanical Building will reopen during the park's December Nights weekend with limited hours. Visitors will be able to visit the building Friday, Dec. 6 from 1 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 7 from noon to 6 p.m.
The structure recognized as Balboa Park's crown jewel was built in 1914. In January 2022, it was closed to the public to undergo the early stages of its two-phase transformation.
On Nov. 18, the city posted a video to its Instagram account, showing the newly renovated Botanical Building uses a misting system that uses digital temperature and humidity sensors to care for the plants in the greenhouse. Check out the video of the misting system in action above.
The project was originally estimated to cost about $21 million but the budget has gone up to just over $28.4 million, according to the city.
The city kicked off phase one of the project in 2022, which included restoring the building and reconstructing the historic window arcades, as well as improving accessibility and adding an entrance and staff room on the north side of the structure.
Phase two is being led by the nonprofit Forever Balboa Park and will focus on exterior landscaping, irrigation and reconstructing the historic pergola.
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