Full return of popular campus site expected early April
By Chris Lim, March 25, 2025
With graduation ceremonies less than two months away, the Cal Poly Pomona’s Rose Garden’s gazebo, always among the favorite graduation photo spots, has been closed.
However, CPP Director of Design and Construction Jason Stoikoff reassured future graduates the Rose Garden will be repaired and ready for photo sessions before May.
The gazebo in the center of the garden was taped around, suppressing any access for seating or studying, and flowers surrounding the gazebo looked like they weren’t blossoming.
Some parts of the gazebo on the top were seen to be taken off, and it concerned many students who not only have this spot listed as one of the best graduation photos backgrounds, but also students who passed by the location, or who wanted to visit and studied there.
However, no damage to the garden itself was reported, according to Stoikoff.
“There was no damage to the gazebo,” Stoikoff said. “We looked at the gazebo and noticed the wood shingles of the roof looked like it was deteriorating. Our facility members took initiative to remove the shingles on top of the gazebo, temporarily closing the location.”
Repairs are underway regarding the gazebo’s status as facility members are quickly working to rebuild the Rose Garden.
Student initiatives have also worked around the garden’s status as the Rose Garden Restoration Senior Project, led by civil engineering professor Dragos Andrei, “focuses on rehabilitating and revitalizing the Cal Poly Pomona Garden by improving hardscaping and designing an improved gazebo,” according to CPP’s Alumni and External Relations site.Alumni and External Relations site.
The senior project was introduced last year, and students who participate in the project work around facility members to rebuild and rework the Rose Garden.
Wilver Arita, a civil engineering student and a participant in the project, provided details of the project and what is being done to the Rose Garden.
“The Rose Garden is obviously losing its value, but we are tackling one thing at a time,” Arita said. “Last year, this project was to identify the problems within the garden. This year, our goal for this project is to rebuild and rework the garden based on the problems from last year. We are communicating with faculty members of construction to make the garden what it once was.”
Construction has begun since the gazebo was recently closed off, and Rose Garden Restoration Senior Project participants are seeking improvements for the Rose Garden for student accessibility.
“We know that the Rose Garden is losing its value, but we want to tackle each objective one thing at a time to improve the garden,” Arita said. “The construction for the roof repair will take around one to two weeks. There is more to come for the garden itself as the project team is looking to further expand the iconic location,” Arita said.
The Rose Garden is looking for a full return starting April, according to Stoikoff. Students can still visit the garden, but construction and repairs of the gazebo are still underway for further improvement.
Featured image courtesy of Wilver Arita
