Impressive Balboa Park

Balboa Park - San Diego

Spreckels Organ Pavilion

California Tower & Dome - History of Man

Spanish-Renaissance Style

Balboa Park is one of San Diego’s unique treasures. The Park covers 1,200 acres and contains a variety of cultural attractions including seventeen museums, seven theatres, and thirteen gardens plus the famous San Diego Zoo. A miniature railroad, carousel, lovely fountains, and the Spanish Village Art Center are among additional attractions. We walked through several intriguing gardens beginning with the Old Cactus Garden developed in 1935 as part of the California Pacific International Exposition. We then followed the shady Palm Canyon Trail which leads to the lovely Botanical House and Garden overlooking the Lily Pond. One of the highlights of the Park is the Museum of Man located beneath the ornate 200-foot California Tower. Many of the cultural institutions and stunning architecture in the Park, including those of Balboa Park’s famous El Prado pedestrian walkway, are designed in the Spanish-Renaissance style. These structures created during the 1915-1916 Exposition was one of the first times that this highly ornamented, flamboyant architectural style had ever been used in the United States. Balboa Park began as 1400 acres of land set aside in 1868 by San Diego civic leaders. The first steps in Park beautification were made in 1892 when Kate Sessions donated several species of trees and shrubs, many of which are alive and visible today. A master plan for the Park was formally introduced just after the turn of the last century. San Diego was set to play host to the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition commemorating the opening of the Panama Canal; this provided a major impetus for the creation of the Park as it appears today. The California tower and dome, which houses the San Diego Museum of Man, the Cabrillo Bridge (historic 1,500 feet long bridge), and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion were all built for the Exposition; the San Diego Zoo was established in the second year of the exposition. Buildings constructed in the 1920’s include the San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of San Diego History. The second World’s Fair in 1935-36 was held to boost the local economy during the depression; additional cultural organizations, structures, and landscaping were added including the Pan American Plaza presenting a delightful architectural history of the Southwest from early Aztec influences through Mexican pueblo style to art deco and modern. We spent an entire day at the Park and still did not see everything; it’s truly a unique City Treasure!