Client: City of San Diego, Forever Balboa Park

Location: San Diego, California

The historic pergola in Balboa Park was originally built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, along with the beloved Botanical Building, but was demolished during World War II. The recent momentous restoration of the Botanical Building was an opportune time to also rebuild this beautiful structure to complement the entirety of the Balboa Park Central Gardens.

The revived pergola is an elegant, airy structure proudly wearing a warm redwood lattice atop classical white columns, reminiscent of an ancient Greek temple. It’s an ideal spot to sit and rest during a leisurely park stroll and provides a great vantage point for people watching along El Prado and the reflecting pool. This will no doubt prove to be a popular spot for special moments: proposals, engagement and quinceanera photos, weddings, and more.

The City of San Diego and Forever Balboa Park coordinated a major fundraising effort to give this pergola back to the public for our enjoyment. The architecture team conducted thorough historical research in order to design the new pergola to mimic the original as closely as possible.