Shiny and new, again
After four years of painstaking work, San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park reopened on Sept. 20. In 1995, a major wind storm severely damaged the glass greenhouse, which is nearly 125 years old. The city had to shut down the historic landmark and then oversaw a tedious restoration process that has revived one of the favorite destinations of the area’s architecture and horticulture enthusiasts.
A rare Victorian prefabricated structure, the conservatory was opened to the public in 1879. Over the years, the city has made some significant repairs to it. In both 1883 and 1918, the building caught on fire. And although it withstood an earthquake in 1906, general deterioration led to periodic repairs in the 1960s and ‘70s. However, the recent project is the first complete restoration of the conservatory.
The restoration team consisted of the Recreation and Parks Department, the Department of Public Works, the Friends of Recreation and Parks nonprofit agency, and two locally based firms, Tennebaum-Manheim Engineers and Architectural Resources Group. Maintaining as much historical integrity as possible was one of the main goals of the restoration. Approximately 90 percent of the original decorative elements and 70 percent of the original mullions were restored.
Taking apart and putting back together the prefabricated structure was challenging, particularly because the team could not find any blueprints. So, restorers devised a testing phase during which 900 square feet of the building’s West Wing were removed and examined to determine the assembly process. The age, integrity and composition of the pieces were analyzed to gain an overall picture of the conservatory’s condition.
The project faced two other major challenges, as well. First, the team had to consider how to care for the conservatory’s plants, some more than a century old, throughout construction. Many of the plants were removed during restoration. However, for the plants that could not be moved, a specially designed heating system helped maintain consistent temperatures.
The group also had to decide whether to use historically accurate old-growth Redwood or another strong, non-endangered wood to replace rotting sections. Redwood buckskin logs — old-growth trees that have fallen naturally or have been left by loggers — provided a compromise. All load-bearing arches were replaced with the logs, replicated from original designs and reinforced with structural steel. The team also replaced all plate glass with laminated safety glass and installed concealed utility trenches.
The 18,000-square-foot conservatory includes five galleries — Lowland Tropics, Aquatic Plants, Potted Plants, Highland Tropics and Special Exhibits — with 1,500 species from 50 countries. Approximately half the plants now on exhibit were previously housed in the conservatory and half are newly acquired. Visitors can wander through an extensive display of high-altitude orchids; learn about endangered ferns, palms and aroids; or visit a collection of carnivorous plants.
The restoration project cost $25 million, with $10 million coming from government sources such as Washington, D.C.-based Save America’s Treasures, the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) and city funds, and $15 million coming from private donations. Conservatory Director Scot Medbury reports that the conservatory attracted approximately 30,000 visitors in the first three weeks. With such community support, officials are hoping that their estimation of 165,000 visitors for the rest of the year will prove very conservative.