The Conservatory of Flowers, a historic greenhouse in Golden Gate Park, celebrated its reopening September 20 after an eight-year historic preservation effort, announced Bruce D. Judd, FAIA, founding principal of Architectural Resources Group (ARG), San Francisco. The conservatory is the oldest structure in Golden Gate Park.

The $25 million rehabilitation involved disassembly and reconstruction of the entire wood-and-glass structure, which suffered storm damage and extensive decay caused by humid conditions and an inadequate ventilating system. The architecture-engineering team installed new heating, venting, and fogging systems to create the environmental conditions the plants need to survive. “We carefully designed trenches in walkways to distribute the environmental systems and work within the historic fabric,” says Debbie Cooper, ARG’s project manager.

The conservatory also required a seismic upgrade. Working with Tannebaum-Manheim Engineers, the firm concealed steel plates within the wood structure and added slender exposed trusses and bracing rods to complement the structure’s light quality. During construction, the existing plants, including a 100-year-old Imperial Philodendron and a Pygmy Date Palm, were housed in a custom irrigated and climate-controlled temporary greenhouse supported by scaffolding.

The San Francisco Department of Public Works oversaw the project, and the rehabilitation campaign was accomplished through a cooperative partnership between the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and the nonprofit Friends of Recreation and Parks.

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