The
Panama-California Exposition was an
expositionUniversal Exposition or Expo is the name given to various large public exhibitions held since the mid-19th century. They are the third largest event in the world in terms of economic and cultural impact after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games...
held in
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego , named after Saint Didacus , is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. The US Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 1,279,329 as of 2008...
between March 9, 1915 and January 1, 1917. The exposition celebrated the opening of the
Panama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal which joins the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific ocean. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, it had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn...
, and was meant to tout San Diego as the first
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
port of callShip transport is watercraft carrying people or goods . Sea transport has been the largest carrier of freight throughout recorded history. Although the importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased due to aviation, it is effective for short trips and pleasure cruises...
for ships traveling north after passing through the canal. The fair was held in San Diego's large urban
Balboa ParkBalboa Park is a 1,200 acre urban cultural park in San Diego, California, United States named after the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The trees here were planted by the famous American gardener Kate Sessions. Placed in reserve in 1835, it is one of the oldest sites in the United States...
.
Colonel D.C. Collier, at the time often referred to as San Diego's greatest asset, was most responsible for the exposition's success.
The
Panama-California Exposition was an
expositionUniversal Exposition or Expo is the name given to various large public exhibitions held since the mid-19th century. They are the third largest event in the world in terms of economic and cultural impact after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games...
held in
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego , named after Saint Didacus , is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. The US Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 1,279,329 as of 2008...
between March 9, 1915 and January 1, 1917. The exposition celebrated the opening of the
Panama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal which joins the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific ocean. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, it had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn...
, and was meant to tout San Diego as the first
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
port of callShip transport is watercraft carrying people or goods . Sea transport has been the largest carrier of freight throughout recorded history. Although the importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased due to aviation, it is effective for short trips and pleasure cruises...
for ships traveling north after passing through the canal. The fair was held in San Diego's large urban
Balboa ParkBalboa Park is a 1,200 acre urban cultural park in San Diego, California, United States named after the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The trees here were planted by the famous American gardener Kate Sessions. Placed in reserve in 1835, it is one of the oldest sites in the United States...
.
Design
Colonel D.C. Collier, at the time often referred to as San Diego's greatest asset, was most responsible for the exposition's success. It was he who selected both the location of the city park and
Spanish MissionThe Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century and drew inspiration from the early Spanish missions in California...
and Pueblo style. Collier was tasked with steering the exposition in the proper direction, ensuring that every decision made reflected his vision of what the exposition will accomplish. Collier once stated "The purpose of the Panama-California Exposition is to illustrate the progress and possibility of the human race, not for the exposition only, but for a permanent contribution to the world's progress" (Christman 43).
New York architect
Bertram GoodhueBertram Grosvenor Goodhue was a renowned American architect celebrated for his work in neo-gothic design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for the Merrymount Press....
was chosen as supervisory architect. Goodhue advised use of the more varied
Spanish ColonialThe Spanish Colonial Revival was a United States architectural movement that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California and Florida as a regional expression related to both history and environment. The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was also influenced by the opening of the...
architecture, and saw the exposition as an opportunity to create a fantasy city. The style employed at the Exposition was never common in San Diego before. Contrasting with bare walls, rich decoration would be used with influences from Mexican and Spanish architecture, including its Muslim and Persian nuances. The design was intentionally in contrast to most previous expositions, which had been done in
NeoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
style with large buildings around large symmetric spaces. This temporary decoration of the park was created with some large spaces and numerous paths, small spaces, and gardens. The location was also moved from a small hillock to a larger and more open area, most of which was intended to be reclaimed by the park as gardens.
Site
Between the site of the exposition and the most readily reached edge of the park is Cabrillo Canyon.
Cabrillo BridgeThe Cabrillo Bridge in Balboa Park was the main access across Cabrillo Canyon built for the Panama-California Exposition. It was dedicated April 12, 1915 by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Building began in December 1912 under the supervision of Frank P. Allen, Jr...
was built to span it, and its appearance of ending on the eastern end in a great pile of buildings would be the crux of the whole composition. This design and the bridge were intended to remain as a permanent focal point of the city.
The focus of the fair was the Plaza de California (California Quadrangle), an arcaded enclosure often containing Spanish dancers and singers, where both the approach bridge and El Prado terminate. The permanent California State and Fine Arts Buildings framed the plaza, which was surrounded on three sides by exhibition halls set behind an arcade on the lower story. Those three sides, following the heavy massiveness and crude simplicity of the Mission style, were without ornamentation. This contrasted with the frontispiece of the California State Building, wild with broken lines of mouldings and crowded ornamentation. Next to the frontispiece, at one corner of the dome, rises the tower of the California Building which was echoed in the less permanent turrents of the Southern California counties, and the Science and Education Buildings. The style of the frontispiece is repeated around the fair.
There were three entrances to the site, on west, north, and east. The East Gateway was approached by drive and trolley car winding up from the city through the southern portion of the Park. From the west, the long bridge's entrance was marked with blooming giant
century plantThe century plant or maguey is an agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. It has since naturalised in many regions and grows wild in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.-Growth:...
s and led straight to the dramatic West Gate (or City Gate), which has the city's coat-of-arms at its crown. The archway is flanked by engaged
Doric orderThe Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of Ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian....
s supporting a rich, fructated entablature enclosing, in the spandrels, beautiful figures symbolizing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans joining waters together in commemoration of the opening of the Panama Canal. These figures are the work of Furio Piccirilli. While the west gateway is part of the Fine Arts Building, the east gateway was designed to be the formal entrance for the California State Building. The East or State Gateway carries the state coat-of-arms over the arch. The spandrels over the arch are filled with glazed colored tile commemorating the 1769 arrival of Spain and the 1846
State ConstitutionalThe Constitution of the State of California is the document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of California. The original constitution, adopted in November 1849 in advance of California attaining U.S. statehood in 1850, was...
Convention at Monterey.
Transformation of a park
Intended to be permanent were the bridge, the domed-and-towered California State Building and the low-lying Fine Arts Building. The Botanical Building would protect heat-loving plants, while the Great Organ would assist open air concerts in its Auditorium. The architecture of the "temporary buildings" was recognized, as Goodhue described, as "being essentially of the fabric of a dream — not to endure but to produce a merely temporary effect. It should provide, after the fashion that stage scenery provides — illusion rather than reality."
Peacock and pheasant wandered through the fair grounds.
The permanent buildings still standing include:
- Botanical Building, one of the largest lath-covered structures then in existence, contained a rare collection of tropical and semi-tropical plants. It is well back from the Prado behind the long pool La Laguna de Las Flores.
- Cabrillo Bridge (completed April 12, 1914).
- California Bell Tower, completed 1914, is exactly two hundred feet tall to the top of the iron weathervane, which is in the form of a Spanish ship.
- California State Building and Quadrangle, completed October 2, 1914, which now houses the San Diego Museum of Man
The San Diego Museum of Man is a museum of anthropology located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The museum's collections and permanent exhibits focus on the pre-Columbian history of the western Americas, with materials drawn from Native American cultures of the Southern California region,...
. The design was inspired by the church of San Diego in Guanajuato, Gto.The Mexican city of Guanajuato is the capital of the state of the same name. It is located at , 370 km northwest of Mexico City, at an elevation of 1,996 m above sea level. The historic town and adjacent mines are a World Heritage Site...
, MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The frontispiece's sculptures by Furio and Attilio PiccirilliAttilio Piccirilli was an Italian-American sculptor.Born in the province of Massa-Carrara, Italy, he was educated at the Accademia di San Luca of Rome....
include many local historical characters. At the top is Father Junípero SerraFray Junípero Serra was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California. Fr. Serra was beatified by John Paul II on September 25, 1988.-History:Junípero Serra was born Miquel Josep Serra i Ferrer in Petra, Majorca, Spain...
, with busts of Charles VCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556...
and Philip IIPhilip II was King of Spain and Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, during his wife Mary Tudor's reign, King of England and Ireland...
of Spain below. Beside the window are the Spanish navigator Sebastián VizcaínoSebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...
and Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo, in 1542 the first white man to step on the western coast of the United States. The lowest niches are occupied by the Franciscan Father Luís JaymeLuís Jayme, O.F.M., was a Spanish-born Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order. Born in the farm Son Baró in the village of Sant Joan, Majorca, his earliest schooling was acquired from the local parish priest...
, first martyr of the Mission period, and Fray Antonio de la Ascensión, the Carmelite histriographer who accompanied Vizcaíno. Just above them are busts of George VancouverCaptain George Vancouver RN was an officer in the British Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of the North-West Coast of North America, including the shores of the modern day Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
, the first English navigator to enter the harbor of San Diego, and Gaspar de PortolàGaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Spanish nobility. Don Portolà served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
, the first Spanish Governor of California. A coat-of-arms of the United States seal is at top above Serra, while seals for Mexico, Spain, and Portugal are also on the frontispiece. The large, mullioned transept windows are ornamented on the exterior with rich Churrigueresque frames. The heraldicized state seal and motto "Eureka" are above and below the windows. The ornament of the building was modeled by Horation and Thomas Piccirilli, the stonework being executed in San Diego. The great central dome is encircled with the motto "Terram Frumenti Hordei, ac Vinarum, in qua Ficus et Malogranata et Oliveta Nascuntur, Terram Olei ac Mellis", (A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig-trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey) from the VulgateThe Vulgate is an early 5th-century Latin version of the Bible, largely the result of the labors of Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of old Latin translations...
of St. JeromeSaint Jerome was a Christian priest and apologist. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Strido, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
.
- Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi (south side of Fine Arts Building); now the Saint Francis Chapel is operated by the Museum of Man. The rededos is the Chapel's chief glory, to the right of the carved statue of Our Lady and Child is an effigy representing San Diego de Alcala, name-saint of the city, and to commemorate the early Jesuit missions in Arizona on the left is an unknown Jesuit saint. Although not consecrated, it is used for ceremonies and weddings.
- Fine Arts Building (on south side of Plaza of California) is now part of the Museum of Man
- Spreckels Organ Pavilion (dedicated December 31, 1914).
The fair left a permanent mark in San Diego in its development of Balboa Park. Up to that point, the park had been mainly open space. But with the landscaping and building done for the fair the park was permanently transformed and is now a major cultural center, housing many of San Diego's major museums. The exposition also led to the eventual establishment of the now world-famous
San Diego ZooThe World Famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. It is also one of the few zoos in the world that houses the giant panda...
in the park, which grew out of abandoned exotic animal exhibitions from the exposition.
William de Leftwich DodgeWilliam de Leftwich Dodge was an American artist best known for his murals.Dodge was born at Liberty, Virginia. He took first place in the examinations for the École des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1881, and also studied under Jean-Leon Gerome and at the Academie Colarossi. He also studied in...
painted murals at the exposition.
Temporary buildings
The "temporary buildings" were formally and informally set on either side of the wide tree-lined central avenue. El Prado extended along the axis of the bridge and was lined with trees and streetlights, with the front of most buildings lined with covered arcades or
portales. The Prado was intended to become the central path of a great and formally designed public garden. The fair's pathways, pools, and watercourses would remain while the cleared building sites would become garden. Goodhue emphasized that "only by thus razing all of the Temporary Buildings will San Diego enter upon the heritage that is rightfully hers."
| Exposition name |
Later or alternate name |
Notes |
| Administration Building (1915) |
|
(completed March 1912) now holds offices of the San Diego Museum of ManThe San Diego Museum of Man is a museum of anthropology located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The museum's collections and permanent exhibits focus on the pre-Columbian history of the western Americas, with materials drawn from Native American cultures of the Southern California region,...
|
| Commerce & Industries Building (1915) |
Canadian Building (1916) Palace of Better Housing (1935) |
renamed Electrical Building and lost in a 1978 arson fire, reconstructed an the Casa de Balboa |
| Foreign Arts Building (1915) |
|
altered and renamed House Of Hospitality A house of hospitality is an organization to provide shelter, and often food and clothing, to those who need it. Originally part of the Catholic Worker Movement, houses of hospitality have been run by other organizations, including organizations that are not Catholic or Christian...
in 1935, reconstructed to be permanent in 1997 |
| Varied Industries & Food Products Building (1915) |
Foreign & Domestic Building (1916) Palace of Food & Beverages (1935) |
1971 reconstruction named Casa del Prado |
| Montana State Building (1915) |
|
demolished |
| New Mexico State Building (1915) |
Palace of Education (1935) |
now used by Balboa Park Club |
| Home Economy Building (1915) |
Pan-Pacific Building (1916) Cafe of the World (1935) |
Timken Museum of Art The Timken Museum of Art is an art museum located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California.The Timken, opened in 1965 and designed by architect Frank Hope, displays a significant collection of European old master paintings, sculptures, and tapestries. These holdings are supplemented by important...
built on site in 1965 |
| Indian Arts Building (1915) |
Arts & Crafts Building (tentative) Russia & Brazil Building (1916) |
rebuilt to exacting specification in 1996 as the House of Charm The House of Charm is in Balboa Park, San Diego. It was given this name for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. It was originally planned as the Mining Building for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition to showcase the mineral wealth and abudance of the region of San Diego...
|
| San Joaquin Valley Building (1915) |
|
demolished |
| Science & Education Building (1915) |
Science of Man exhibit, Palace of Science & Photography (1935) |
demolished in 1964 (exhibit inspired creation of Museum of Man) |
| Southern California Counties Building (1915) |
Civic Auditorium |
burned down in 1925, replaced in 1933 with San Diego Natural History MuseumThe San Diego Natural History Museum was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History. The present location of the museum in San Diego's Balboa Park was dedicated on January 14, 1933....
|
| Kansas State Building (1915) |
Theosophical Headquarters (1916) United Nations/House of Italy |
designed in the spirit of Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside |
| Sacramento Valley Building (1915) |
United States Building (1916) |
replaced by San Diego Museum of Art The San Diego Museum of Art opened as the Museum of Fine Arts on February 28, 1926. The funders turned over ownership of the building to the City of San Diego. It is located in Balboa Park. The museum building was designed by architect William Templeton Johnson.The Museum's collections are...
in 1926 |
| Washington State Building (1915) |
|
demolished |
Alterations
While originally opened as Panama-California Exposition, the fair was rechristened the
Panama-California International Exposition on March 18, 1916. This was actually valid renaming, for while the fair originally had no international exhibitors, by 1916 it had exhibits from
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
. Most came from the recently closed
Panama-Pacific International ExpositionThe Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
held in
San FranciscoSan Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 12th most populous city in the United States, with a 2008 estimated population of 808,976. It is the eighth most densely populated city in the U.S. and is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the larger San...
some of whom were unable to return to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
due to
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
which had been raging since 1914.
Later exposition and rebuilding
The
California Pacific International ExpositionThe California Pacific International Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California during May 29, 1935–November 11, 1935 and February 12, 1936–September 9, 1936...
at the same site in 1935 was so popular that some buildings were rebuilt to be made more permanent. Many buildings or reconstructed versions remain in use today, and are used by several museums and theatres in Balboa Park.
In the early 1960s destruction of a few of the buildings and replacement by modern, clashing buildings created an uproar in San Diego. A Committee of One Hundred was formed by citizens to protect the park buildings. They convinced the City Council to require new buildings to be built in Spanish Colonial Revival Style and worked with various government agencies to have the remaining buildings declared as a National Historic Landmark in 1978. In the late 1990s, the most deteriorated buildings and burned buildings were rebuilt.
Exhibition schematic map
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Day nursery |
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Jardins de Eucalyptus |
Japanese & Formosa Exhibit |
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North Gate |
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gardens |
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United States |
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Botanical Building |
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Indian Village |
| Administration Building |
California State Building |
Science & Education |
Plaza the Panama |
Pan-Pacific |
La Laguna de Las Flores |
Foreign & Domestic |
Calle Cristobal |
Southern California Counties |
Cabrillo BridgeThe Cabrillo Bridge in Balboa Park was the main access across Cabrillo Canyon built for the Panama-California Exposition. It was dedicated April 12, 1915 by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Building began in December 1912 under the supervision of Frank P. Allen, Jr...
|
West Gate |
Plaza de California |
East Gate |
El Prado, the central avenue |
|
Fine Arts Building |
Montezuma gardens |
Russia & Brazil |
Plaza de Panama |
Foreign Arts |
Canadian Building |
Canyon Espanol |
Service buildings |
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Chapel of St. Francis |
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thick bosque |
Palm Canyon |
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Esplanade |
San Joaquin Valley |
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Hospital |
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Via de los Estados |
Plaza de Los Estados |
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Pepper Grove park |
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Great Organ |
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Theosophical Building |
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Washington |
Montana |
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New Mexico |
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Additional reading
- The Official Guide Book of the Panama California Exposition San Diego 1915
- San Diego’s Balboa Park by David Marshall, AIA, Arcadia Publishing, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-7385-4754-1
- Phoebe S. Kropp, California Vieja: Culture and Memory in a Modern American Past. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2006. ISBN: 0-520-24364-1
External links