The Botanical Building In Balboa Park

by NL Galbraith

Title

The Botanical Building In Balboa Park

Artist

NL Galbraith

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The Botanical Building in Balboa Park was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exhibition which celebrated the 1914 opening of the Panama Canal. Bertram Goodhue was the architect who built it after making changes to the original plans done by Carlton Winslow. This lath house was built to provide shade for some of the subtropical plants that would be inside this structure while accentuating an open air theme which reflected San Diego’s wonderful year round weather. It resembles a lath structure that was built in Barcelona Spain for the 1888 Universal Exposition. It is one of the largest lath houses in the world with Its dimensions of 250 feet long by 75 feet wide by 60 feet tall, which had deviated from its original plan of 600 square feet by 100 feet high in a Spanish Renaissance style. Known as the “Lath Palace,” it was constructed of redwood lath with arches and a central dome or cupola which has about 2,100 plants and trees inside, along with some benches to sit and take in all the beautiful light streaming through the lath planks and onto the diverse assortment of plants. It has Spanish Colonial Revival windows and arched doorways. In front of the building is a lily pond (about 43 feet wide by 50 long) and a lagoon (about 43 feet wide by 195 feet long), the lily pond reflects the Botanical building, and has a sidewalk lined with concrete balustrades in front of it separating it from the lagoon. The lagoon or larger rectangular pool in the front is where you will find ducks, turtles, and koi fish happily at home among the lily pads. At one point the larger pool or lagoon was converted to a swimming pool to train navy sailors how to swim, and in WWII the Naval Hospital used the pool to rehabilitate patients. The original design was to have the other buildings for the exhibition line the larger pool, but later this was changed for other buildings to line a central avenue instead. The building has hosted concerts and other performances, horticulture events, and educational programs centered on biodiversity and sustainable solutions. The Botanical Building is one of the most iconic and photographed buildings on the west coast.
(information from https://balboaparkbotanical.org and from https://sandiegohistory.org/archives/amero/botanical/ written by Richard Amero)
The Botanical Building, lily pond, and lagoon is surrounded by colorful flowerbeds and tall palm trees. The clear blue sky enhances the tranquil and picturesque scene in this urban park setting.

Uploaded

January 31st, 2025

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