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Balboa Park
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'"Casa de Balboa" beyond the Reflection Pool
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| Nearest city: | San Diego, California |
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| Area: | 1,200 acres (490 ha) |
| Built: | 1868 |
| Architect: | Multiple |
| Architectural style: | Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, Pueblo Revival |
| Governing body: | City of San Diego |
| NRHP Reference#: | 77000331 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | December 22, 1977 |
| Designated NHLD: | December 22, 1977[1] |
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) urban cultural park in San Diego, California. The park is named after the Spanish maritime explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa. It was the location of the 1915 Panama–California Exposition and 1935 California Pacific International Exposition which each created architectural landmarks for the park.
The park's site was placed in reserve in 1835, and so is one of the oldest sites in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. In addition to open space areas, natural vegetation green belts, gardens and walking paths, it contains a variety of cultural attractions including many museums, several theaters, and the world famous San Diego Zoo. There are also many recreational facilities and several gift shops and restaurants.
Balboa Park, and the historic Exposition buildings, were declared a National Historic Landmark and National Historic Landmark District in 1977, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1][2] Balboa Park is managed and maintained by the stewardship of the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Diego.
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Balboa Park contains multiple museums, gardens, attractions, and venues.
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The park is essentially rectangular in form, bounded by Sixth Avenue to the west, Upas Street to the north, 28th Street to the east, and Russ Boulevard to the south. The rectangle has been modified by the addition of the Marston Hills natural area in the northwest corner of the park, while the southwest corner of the rectangle is occupied by a portion of the Cortez Hill neighborhood of Downtown San Diego and San Diego High School, both of which are separated from the park by Interstate 5. Also encroaching on the northern perimeter of the park is Roosevelt Middle School.
Two north-south canyons - Cabrillo Canyon and Florida Canyon - traverse the park, and separate it into three distinct mesas.[3] The Sixth Avenue Mesa is a narrow strip bordering Sixth Avenue on the western edge of the park, which provides areas of passive recreation, grassy spaces, and tree groves. The Central Mesa is home to much of the park's cultural facilities, and includes scout camps, the San Diego Zoo, the Prado, and Inspiration Point. East Mesa is home to Morley Field and many of the active recreation facilities in the park.
In 1948, California State Route 163 was constructed to run through Cabrillo Canyon and pass under the Cabrillo Bridge.[4] This stretch of road, initially named the Cabrillo Freeway, has been called one of America's most beautiful parkways.[5] A portion of Interstate 5 was constructed through the park in the 1950s. In total, freeways take up 111 acres of land that had been initially designated for the park.[4]
Surrounding the park are many of San Diego's older neighborhoods, including Downtown, Bankers Hill, North Park, and Golden Hill.
The entire Balboa Park is a primary attraction in San Diego and the region. The park's landscape has many mature, and sometimes rare, trees and groves creating an urban forest for San Diego. Many of the original trees were planted by the renowned American landscape designer, botanist, plantswoman, and gardener Kate Sessions. She was a forerunner of using drought tolerant and California native plants in garden design, establishing a nursery to propagate and grow for the park and the public.
Throughout the park there are a number of gardens including: Alcazar Garden, Botanical Building, Desert Cactus Garden, Casa del Rey Moro Garden, Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden, Japanese Friendship Garden, Bird Park, George W. Marston House and Gardens, Palm Canyon, and Zoro Garden.[6][7][8]
Many of the park's cultural attractions are along El Prado, a long, wide promenade and boulevard running through the center of the park. Most of the buildings lining this street are in the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style, a richly ornamented eclectic mixture of European Spanish architecture and the Spanish Colonial architecture of New Spain-Mexico.[1] Along this boulevard are many of the park's museums and cultural attractions, including the San Diego Museum of Man, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Photographic Arts, the San Diego Art Institute, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the San Diego History Center, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and the Timken Museum of Art. Other features along El Prado include the Reflection Pond, the latticed Botanical Building, and the Bea Evenson Fountain. Adjacent to the promenade is the San Diego Air & Space Museum.
Theatrical and musical venues include the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, featuring one of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs;[9] the Old Globe Theatre complex, which includes a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre[10] as well as an outdoor stage and a Theatre in the round; and the Starlight Bowl - an outdoor amphitheatre. The Casa Del Prado Theater is the home of San Diego Junior Theatre, the country's oldest children's theatre program. The House of Pacific Relations International Cottages collected on El Prado offer free entertainment shows.
The Botanical Building, a very large lath house, was built in 1915 from a design by Carleton Winslow.[11] The lath house features large specimen palms and other plants inside and is located next to a long reflecting pool on the El Prado side.
Located in the eastern third of the park is the Morley Field Sports Complex. Included in this complex are: the Balboa Park Golf Complex, which contains a public 18-hole golf course and 9-hole executive course;[12] the San Diego Velodrome; baseball and softball fields; the USTA-honored Balboa Tennis Club and tennis courts; archery ranges; the Bud Kearn public swimming pool; and a disc golf course.
Among the institutions and facilities within the park's borders but not administered by the city's Parks Department are the San Diego Zoo, the Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), and San Diego High School. Other attractions in various areas of the park include chess and bridge outdoor tables, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, walking and jogging trails, sports fields and courts, and picnic areas. Clubs and facilities for petanque and lawn bowling are based in the park.
Spain and later Mexico made a practice of setting aside large tracts of land for the common use of citizens.[13] In 1835 the Alta California authorities set aside a 47,000-acre (19,000 ha) tract of pueblo land in San Diego to be used for the public's recreational purposes.[14] This land included the site of present-day Balboa Park, making it one of the oldest places in the United States dedicated to public recreational usage.
No further activity took place until 1845, when a survey was done by Henry D. Fitch to map the 47,000 acres.[14] The Mexican government was unable to develop a park due to the start of the Mexican-American War, and the resulting ceding of all Alta California, including San Diego, to the United States in 1848.[15]
On February 15, 1868, a request was put forth to the city's Board of Trustees to take two 160-acre (65 ha) plots of land, and create a public park. This request was made by one of the Trustees, E. W. Morse, who, along with real estate developer Alonzo Horton, had selected a site just northeast of the growing urban center of "New Town"—present day Downtown San Diego—for the nascent park's location.[14]
Subsequently, a resolution to set aside nine plots of land totaling a substantial 1,400 acres (570 ha), instead of just two, for a large city park was approved by the city's Board of Trustees on May 26, 1868.[16] Then in 1870, a new law called the "Act to Insure the Permanency of the Park Reservation", was passed by the state legislature, which stated "These lands (lots by number) are to be held in trust forever by the municipal authorities of said city for the purpose of a park".[17][18] It was around this time that San Diego residents were developing fondness for the park; as illustrated by their strong desire to keep the park intact when in 1871 there was a documented attempt to purchase and divvy up the park land.[17] At the urging of would-be land speculators and the city attorney, a state senator quietly introduced a bill in the California state legislature to repeal the 1870 law.[17]
A San Diego resident learned of the plan and informed higher powers at the state level in Sacramento, California. The conspiracy was leaked to the press thereby exposing the city officials involved. A public safety committee formed and collected signatures supporting the current existence of the park. Their plea was successful and the bill was killed in the legislature.[19][20] San Diego was the second city in the U.S. to dedicate a large park after New York City's 1858 establishment of Central Park.[16][21]
For the first few decades of its existence, "City Park" remained mostly open space. The land, lacking trees and covered in native wildflowers, was home to wildlife such as bobcats, rattlesnakes, and coyotes.[22] Numerous proposals, some altruistic, some profit-driven, were brought forward for the development and use of the land during this time, but no comprehensive plan for development was adopted until 1902.
Nevertheless, there was some building done. This included an orphanage and women's shelter (later burned down),[19] a high school (Russ High School - later San Diego High School),[23] and several gardens maintained by various private groups. One of the most celebrated of these early usages was a 36-acre nursery owned and maintained by local horticulturist and botanist Kate Sessions, who is often referred to as "the mother of Balboa Park."[24][21] Although owned by Sessions, by agreement with the city the nursery was open to the public, and Sessions donated trees and plants to the city every year for its beautification. Sessions is responsible for bringing in many of the different varieties of native and exotic plants in the park. Her work was so progressive that she was in fact the first woman awarded the Meyer Medal for "foreign plant importation" given to her by the American Genetic Association.
Other developments from this time include two reservoirs, an animal pound in Pound Canyon (later renamed Cabrillo Canyon), and a gunpowder magazine in the area now known as Florida Canyon. The earliest recreational developments in the park were in the "Golden Hill Park" area off of 25th street. The National Register listed the rustic stone fountain designed by architect Henry Lord Gay as the oldest surviving designed feature in the park. Other attractions in the area included a children's park, walking trails, and a redwood bird aviary.
Beginning in 1909, San Diego Chamber of Commerce president G. Aubrey Davidson suggested that the park hold an expo to coincide with the 1915 opening of the Panama Canal.[23] Davidson believed an expo would help improve commerce and residency in the city as well as expand the infrastructure of the park.[23][25] He later explained the significance of holding the expo in San Diego, "...I felt something must be done to get our city on the map and advertise it to the rest of the world. I knew we had something here that no other city had, and that all that was necessary was for the people to know about it."[26] San Diego would be the smallest city to ever hold a World's Fair, as its population at the time was less than 40,000.[21] The expo was organized by a group of San Diego business leaders, including Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., and was funded at an initial cost of $5 million (including $1 million from voter-approved bonds for landscaping).[23] After a naming contest in 1910, the park's namesake selected Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to cross Central America and see the Pacific Ocean.[23] A lavish groundbreaking ceremony for the fair's construction was held in July 1911.[23]
In anticipation of the exposition, many of San Diego's business and city leaders began to develop separate plans for their envisioning of the layout of the park. John D. Spreckels, owner of the San Diego Electric Railway, desired the main location for the public plaza on the land to be shifted to another area to allow for additional room for exhibitors. However, Spreckels also wanted the location moved so that it would allow his streetcar system to traverse the park and extend to the North Park and University Heights neighborhoods for when the expo ended.[23][26][27]
The 1915 Panama–California Exposition design and development created much of the park's present day look and feel, and designed amenities.[1] The Exposition celebrated the 1914 completion and opening of the Panama Canal, and to advertise that San Diego was the first U.S. port of call vessels encountered after passing through the canal and sailing north. A similar fair, the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition, was held in "far to the north" San Francisco to celebrate the canal also. Although $5,000,000 had been set aside by Congress for celebrations of the Panama Canal opening, the majority of the funds went to the San Francisco expo.[28][29] San Diego, with its considerably smaller population, was able to raise the funds it lacked through bonds approved by taxpayer votes. Exposition planning began in 1909 and the City Park was soon selected as the exposition site.
The Exposition's lead designer and site planner was architect Bertram Goodhue, well known for his Gothic Revival Style churches in New York and Boston, but looking for a regionally appropriate aesthetic to use in Southern California.[30] Goodhue and associate architect Carleton Winslow chose to use the styles of highly ornamented Spanish Baroque architecture with the Spanish Colonial architecture created during the Spanish colonization era in New Spain-Mexico and the lower Americas, with Churrigueresque and Plateresque detailing "updating" the already popular Mission Revival Style—to create the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. The buildings and the style were extremely well received by the public and design professionals in California and nationally, becoming a reigning style for decades, and still the primary vernacular style in much of California. Goodhue's associate architect was Carleton M. Winslow, who is solely credited with the lattice-work Botanical Building and other structures. Goodhue's team, which included Kate Sessions and Lloyd Wright for landscape design, had won out over the local and more modernist Irving Gill to get the commission.[23] One of the most significant improvements to the park from that time was the construction of the Cabrillo Bridge across a major canyon in the city. The bridge connects the main portion of the park with the western portion and with Laurel Street.
On December 31, 1914, the Panama-California Exposition opened, with Balboa Park "crammed full" of spectators. President Woodrow Wilson pushed a telegraph button in Washington, D.C. to symbolically open the ceremonies by turning on the power at the park.[31][32] Yellow and red were the themed colors of the event and were displayed throughout. All of the employees, workers, security people, and management staff were dressed in period Spanish and Mexican military uniforms, and much of the park was filled with plantings of exotic plants. Over 40,000 red Poinsettia plants, all in full bloom, were used. The event had been successful in attracting national attention. Even Pennsylvania's Liberty Bell made a brief three-day appearance in November 1915.[33] The event's original 1915 run was such a success the fair was extended through 1916. Over the two years more than 3.7 million visitors were in attendance and a slight profit was earned over the total cost of organizing and hosting the expo.[34] The surplus funds were donated to the San Diego Museum in the park.[35] Several notable visitors during the two-year run included Henry Ford, William Jennings Bryan, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft.[36][37]
Roosevelt, approving of the buildings' architecture, recommended that the "buildings of rare phenomenal taste and beauty" be left as permanent additions at Balboa Park.[36][38] The majority of the buildings were only supposed to remain standing through 1916 and were not constructed with long-lasting materials.[39] When the expo ended, several city discussions were held to determine what to do with the buildings. Goodhue recommended demolishing the buildings, saying "They are now crumbling, disintegrating and altogether unlovely structures, structures that lack any of the venerability of age and present only its pathos, and the space they occupy could readily be made into one of the most beautiful public gardens in the New World."[39] Joseph W. Sefton, Jr., president of the Society of Natural History also called for their demolition, citing fire hazards: "All those old exposition buildings are nothing but fire traps. ... They are pretty to look at, but we may wake up any morning and find them gone, and our million dollars worth of exhibits with them."[39] However, a city-appointed committee hired an architect to review the buildings, and he determined that the buildings could be restored by a slight margin over any costs to demolish the buildings. When the necessary funds and materials for restoration were donated by San Diegans and the labor was financed by the federal government, the buildings continued to remain in the park.[40][39] Some of the buildings and infrastructure constructed for the Panama-California Exposition which exist today include:
Balboa Park's second big event, the California Pacific International Exposition, came in 1935 when it hosted yet another world's fair. This Exposition was intended to promote the city and remedy San Diego’s Great Depression era ills. Balboa Park was reconfigured by San Diego architect Richard S. Requa, who also oversaw the design and construction of many new buildings, some to be permanent.[41] Facilities added at that time and still in use include the Old Globe Theatre, the International Cottages, and the Spanish Village.
The California Pacific International Exposition left behind a legacy of colorful stories with its exhibits and entertainments. The Gold Gulch was a forerunner of the many "frontier town" themed areas of later amusement parks. The controversial Zoro Garden Nudist Colony, "Midget Village", and sideshow entertainments including fan dancer Sally Rand added to the lore.[42][43] The Exposition also provided visitors with early glimpses of 'Alpha'- a walking silver robot, and a strange new electrical device called a "television".[44]
Like the first exposition, the 1935 Fair was so successful it was extended for a second year through 1936. Opening ceremonies for the second season began when President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a gold telegraph key in the White House to turn on the exposition’s lights. He later visited the exposition along other notable guests including Herbert Hoover, Mae West, and Jack Dempsey.[43] Funded at $20 million,[45] the 1935–1936 event counted 6.7 million visitors—almost double the total of the 1915–1916 exposition. Buildings from both expositions now make up a National Historic Landmark District.
At the conclusion of the expo, again San Diegans voted on deciding what to do with the park and its buildings. Banker Joseph Sefton, Jr. called for the buildings' removal, "They are hideous and badly placed. Had we torn out the 1915 exposition buildings and landscaped the park we would have a beautiful place there now and not a long row of ramshackle firetraps."[43] Several proposals were developed for converting buildings to museums and several groups attempted to have some of the park land sold to finance other projects.[46]
During both the Great War and World War II, the park was handed over to the Department of the Navy to be used as a barracks and training ground and was an extension of Naval Medical Center San Diego.[47][48] By 1917, after $30,000 in repairs and modifications were made to the original buildings, over 5,000 U.S. troops were using the park for training.[48]
Coinciding with the Panama–California Exposition, the Commandant of the Marine Corps instructed 2nd Battalion of the newly established 4th Marines to represent the Marine Corps at the event. On December 19th, 1914, Marine Barracks, Balboa Park, was established as the second, and during its period, and only Marine base in San Diego. It remained in place until 1921, when a more permanent base was established in Dutch Flats, itself a predecessor of Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.[49] Under the conditions of usage, upon closing, the Marine Corps returned the buildings they had used in the exact condition that they had received them.[50] Although some buildings were scheduled to be demolished due to disrepair, several San Diego groups organized to ensure the buildings were kept.[51] Donated funds allowed for improvements to the buildings' integrity and interiors.
During World War II the park was renamed Camp Kidd, after Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd.[52][53] Buildings within the park were used for multiple purposes, including hospital wards, training facilities, and barracks.[54][55] After the attack on Pearl Harbor, many of the wounded were transported to Camp Kidd's hospital wards.[52] Camp Kidd also served as a Reception Center for sailors until 1944, when those activities were transferred to Camp Elliott; this allowed for additional hospital expansion.[50] It was returned back to civilian authority in 1946, and repair costs to return the buildings and infrastructure to their pre-war status totaled $840,000, with the majority reimbursed by the Navy.[56][57] In 1948, the funds were used to restore seven buildings that were deemed unsafe.[58]
A new addition to the park during the post-war 1940s was the carillon in the California Tower (1946), which chimes the time every quarter hour.[59] The San Diego Junior Theater, a program of the Old Globe Theatre, was established in 1948, performing in the Prado Theatre.[60] The amphitheater formerly known as the Ford Bowl became the Starlight Bowl, home of the Starlight Musical Theater (also known as the San Diego Civic Light Opera and as Starlight Opera), which performed Broadway musicals outdoors in the summer.[54]
In 1959, the city hired an architectural firm to map out a plan for the park based on the suggestions of San Diegans along with the firm's recommendations.[61] The initial review called for 13 of the original 1915 buildings to remain while replacing 11 others with new buildings in their place. The plan also called for adjusted roadways, additional landscaping, and improvements in parking. By 1967, the city and private charities such as the Committee of 100 undertook a major effort to restore the park's historic buildings.[62][63] Most of the original Exposition buildings were continuing to deteriorate with some lacking foundations and minimal structural support. By the 1990s some of the Prado buildings were deteriorating so badly that "pieces of plaster regularly fell off the walls."[64] Several crumbling buildings were torn down and replaced with permanent structures which were carefully detailed to maintain the original appearance. The Science and Education Building and the Home Economy Building were demolished to make room for the expansion of two new wings for the Timken Museum of Art.[65] The loss of these two buildings along with the Casa de Balboa, the House of Charm, and the House of Hospitality, resulted in the formation of the independent organization, Committee of One Hundred, to attempt to preserve the exhibition buildings.[65]
Several new museums opened during the 1960s and 1970s: the Timken Museum of Art in 1965, the Centro Cultural de la Raza in 1970, and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in 1973. The 1915-1916 exposition's Food and Beverage Building was rebuilt and reopened in 1971 as Casa del Prado.[54]
Balboa Park, and the historic Exposition buildings, were declared a National Historic Landmark and National Historic Landmark District in 1977, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1][2][66] The following year two historic park structures burned down in two separate arson fires: the Aerospace Museum in the former Electric Building, and the 1935 Old Globe Theatre.[67] The Aerospace Museum (now the San Diego Air and Space Museum) lost over $4 million in exhibits, and was reopened after moving into the old Ford Building.[67] The Old Globe Theatre produced its 1978 season on a temporary outdoor stage, which was later upgraded to become one of the Globe's three theaters. The Old Globe Theatre itself was rebuilt and reopened in 1981.[68] Queen Elizabeth II presented at the dedication ceremony for the theatre in 1983.[69]
Throughout the 1980s, there were multiple reports throughout Balboa Park of vandalism, murder, rape, arson, and minor petty crimes.[70] The resulting negative publicity during this period inspired Bruce Springsteen to write a song entitled "Balboa Park" focusing on the unpleasant aspects of the park. One of the Old Globe Theatre's starring actors was stabbed to death in the middle of the day in February 1985.[71] A 36-year-old woman was gang-raped and murdered in the park in June 1986.[72] To counter the increase in crime, city officials expanded police patrols in the park, and many of the individual museums hired security guards.[70] After two murders in 1993 and the shooting of a young drama student walking across the Cabrillo Bridge in 1994, nighttime lighting in the park was increased, and video cameras were installed in several locations to allow park rangers and police to better monitor the area.[73]
In 1998, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center opened a larger building at its present location. The following year, the Hall of Champions Sports Museum moved to the old Federal Building.[74]
By 2000, over 12 million people visited the park each year.[75] Plans are in development for a year-long celebration of the centennial of the 1915-16 exposition, called the Balboa Park 2015 Celebration.[76]
The Balboa Park Conservancy, a non-profit group to preserve and promote the park, was proposed[77] in 2009 and was officially launched on September 14, 2010.[78]
The Park's master plan calls for removing a 67-space parking lot from the Plaza de Panama in front of the San Diego Art Museum, and restoring it as a pedestrian-only plaza. In August 2010 a plan was unveiled by Mayor Jerry Sanders and philanthropist Irwin M. Jacobs to replace that parking with a two-level parking garage at the site of the current Spreckles Organ Pavillion parking lot.[79] The plan also called for making the Cabrillo Bridge one-way, eastbound only, so that people could enter the park via the Cabrillo Bridge but could exit only via Park Boulevard. Instead of the current traffic route through the center of the Prado, inbound traffic would be deflected via a new bridge offramp through the current Alcazar Gardens parking lot toward the new parking garage. The Alcazar Gardens parking lot would be for disabled parking only and for loading and unloading of passengers. The new parking garage would house 750-900 cars and would be landscaped on top.[80] The plan became controversial because of its alteration to the appearance of the bridge and the possibility of charging for parking in the parking garage.[81] In July 2011 the City Council voted to carry out an environmental study on the Jacobs plan and several alternatives.[82]
Balboa Park frequently holds events throughout its museums, venues, and plazas. These events include weekly concerts at the Speckles Organ Pavilion, guest speakers, and annual parades and fairs. The festival "December Nights" (originally called "Christmas on the Prado"[83][84]) takes place in Balboa Park the first weekend of December each year.[85] EarthFair, described as one of the largest free annual environmental fair in the U.S., is held in the park every April. The event celebrates Earth Day, and includes a parade, musical performances, and information booths on various topics related to the environment. In 2010, over 70,000 people attended the fair.[86][87] The two-day San Diego Gay Pride Festival is held in the Marston Point area of Balboa Park each July. The 2011 parade was attended by more than 150,000 people.[88]
Several races and marathons include the park in the courses. The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are held in Balboa Park annually. First started in 1979, the race is held in Morley Field.[89] Marathons such as the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon and the America's Finest City Half Marathon begin or end in Balboa Park.[90][91]
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