Botanical Building

The Botanical Building is defined by its massive lath structure, a complex grid of redwood strips that allows light and air to nourish the tropical plants inside. Built for the nineteen fifteen Panama-California Exposition, it was designed as a temporary display to showcase the city's ability to cultivate exotic flora. While most temporary fair buildings were demolished, this one stayed. In nineteen thirteen, workers rushed to finish it, often hand-tying the laths to the frame as the opening deadline loomed over the park.