Botanical Building
historic place
The Botanical Building in San Diego, California, is a historic place constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. It was completed in 1914, six months before the Exposition officially opened. Alfred D. Robinson, a founder of the San Diego Floral Society, suggested this lath house to display diverse plant life, including native Southern California flora and tropical species. Designed by architects including Carleton Winslow, this building is recognized as one of the world's largest lath structures. Its steel frame is covered by twelve miles of redwood slats. Exposition visitors nicknamed it "The Lath Palace." The original design featured a glass conservatory and a more elaborate façade, later simplified. Today, it continues to shelter over 2,100 permanent plantings. A historical marker for the building was erected in 2012 by Friends of Balboa Park. This structure remains a significant example of exposition architecture and helped establish San Diego's potential as a center for ornamental horticulture.