By Monica Garske | SDUN Reporter 
The iconic dome at the San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park is currently undergoing repairs and the City-funded project is taking serious measures to ensure the historical preservation of the building throughout construction.
The scaffolding 150 feet above Balboa Park is part of the San Diego Museum of Man Roofing Project, spearheaded by the City of San Diego and project manager George Freiha.
Freiha and his project team explained the major repairs include new roofing on the Museum of Man, repairs to the main and smaller corner domes and window restoration.
“Most of the repairs to the [main] dome itself are related to repairing cracked cast-stone, restoring and repainting wood windows and sealing numerous joints. All of the existing beautiful decorative tiles will remain in place,” Freiha said.
He said the $1.2 million project is expected to be completed by July, after many years of planning, surveying and developing appropriate treatments for the complex roof. City Capital outlay, Deferred Capital Bonds and Regional Park money is funding the project.
Since preservation is key to both the City and the Museum of Man, Freiha assured all repairs are in compliance with the National Park Service and Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties in order to protect the historical integrity of the landmark.
“The City hired Heritage Architecture & Planning to oversee the project because of their expertise in the treatment of historic buildings. The contractor and his team have significant experience in historic restoration work and the City has a field engineer assigned to the project to assure plans are followed properly,” Freiha said.
He explained there would be no change to the dome’s outward appearance but it would be cleaner and experience fewer leaks.
Marc Lonn, director of security and facilities at the San Diego Museum of Man, has been working closely with the City on the project and said everything is going according to plan.
Lonn said there have been no major delays since repairs began in September 2011, primarily because of the extensive groundwork laid by the City before the restoration process began.
“The City has put a lot of attention into the repairs and ensuring that history is preserved. In the end, the dome will be ready to last at least another 100 years for future generations to enjoy,” Lonn said.
Micah Parzen, CEO of the San Diego Museum of Man, called the restoration project a “functional facelift” rather than an aesthetic facelift.
“The historical integrity of this building comes first, and it really needed these structural repairs. The dome is nearly 100 years old and needed major maintenance. We are so grateful to the City for doing this,” he said.
Parzen also said one of his favorite features of the project is the ultraviolet film cover being placed on the newly restored windows. Parzen said this will help protect the Museum’s indoor collections from sunlight, safeguarding the artifacts.
Despite the daily construction, the San Diego Museum of Man is currently open to the public. Both Lonn and Parzen said the building will remain fully operational throughout the roofing project.
“This project is critical to the quality of the Museum of Man experience,” Parzen said. “The dome and California Tower are emblematic of San Diego treasures of our community that we must cherish and preserve.”
