In 1995 during one of the worst winter storms on record, 100 mile-per-hour winds tore through San Francisco, leaving one of the city’s most beloved landmarks in tatters. 40% of the glass tiles that once sheathed the Victorian-era Conservatory of Flowers lay smashed on the ground. Inspecting the building after the storm, Department of Public Works officials despaired to find that the years of extreme moisture both inside and outside the building had rotted the infrastructure extensively. It was clear that something had to be done to save this fragile, decaying glass palace. But what?