Luther Burbank Greenhouse Restoration
Restoration and Repair of Historic Greenhouse
Santa Rosa, CA

The Luther Burbank Greenhouse was built in 1889 to house plant breeding and seed germinating work carried out by Mr. Burbank. It is a registered local, state, and national historic landmark. Architectural Resources Group was commissioned in 2002 to perform a condition assessment and treatment analysis. The treatment recommendations from this report were the guidelines for the restoration construction documents for the greenhouse that were carried out by ARG Conservation Services (ARG/CS) in 2004-2005.

Over the years, the wood and glass structure had suffered a variety of water-related problems. Rusted bolts, rotted wood, and failed paint undermined the waterproofing system to cause an accelerated decay of the greenhouse. The materials conservation treatments carried out were intended to preserve as much of the historic fabric as possible while providing long-term protection of the structure.

ARG/CS provided careful disassembly of the historic wood mullions and glass of the greenhouse enclosure. This was followed by repair of all deteriorated wood mullions using specialized epoxies. All mullions were then primed, painted, and reinstalled with each corresponding glass pane in its original position on the greenhouse.