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40-720: The Quadrangle includes the California Building and Tower on the north side, and Evernham Hall and the St. Francis Chapel on the south side. Between them is an open space linked by arcaded passageways and massive arched gateways to form the Plaza de California. The original Balboa Park Administration Building (now the Gill Administration Building) lies just outside the Quadrangle, adjacent to and west of

80-622: A Diego Velázquez portrait of the Infanta Margarita of Spain, which was possibly a study for a larger portrait of her in Vienna . Other major benefactors during the museum's first quarter century were Archer M. Huntington and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Timken, whose small art collection is housed in the nearby Timken Museum of Art , established in 1965. In 2012, the Museum of Art received 48 German Expressionist paintings, drawings and prints from

120-412: A Caltrans-funded project was being undertaken. By October 1931, 17 people had "made the leap into eternity" from the bridge, said Mayor Walter Austin. One city official, after talk of installing suicide preventative measures failed, mentioned that "after a council meeting there are times a councilman might want to make use of a bridge." In 1934, a despondent sailor jumped from the bridge and splashed into

160-571: A cheaper design by Thomas B. Hunter of San Francisco that looked similar to other bridges in Mexico and Spain . The innovative design featured a multiple-arched cantilever structure, the first such bridge in California. Building began in December 1912 under the supervision of Allen. The concrete forms were made of 1,000,000 board feet (2,400 m ) of wood, mostly redwood. The length of

200-731: A land of oil olive, and honey ), (Deuteronomy 8:8 taken from the Vulgate of St. Jerome ; see also the Seven Species ), as well as the California motto, "Eureka". The building's facade features stone ornamentation as well as many historical figures and busts sculpted from modeling clay and plaster, depicting prominent people from California, England, Mexico, and Spain. These include Junípero Serra , Philip III of Spain , Sebastián Vizcaíno , George Vancouver , Luís Jayme , Carlos III of Spain , Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo , Gaspar de Portolà , and Antonio de la Ascención . The facade also features

240-799: A male representing the Atlantic Ocean were joined by the opening of the Panama Canal. Orazio (1872-1954) and Masaniello (called “Tom,” 1870-1951) executed the ornamental work and Churrigueresque frames on the building. The dome's design looked to the dome at the Church of Santa Prisca and San Sebastián in Taxco , Mexico. The great central dome is encircled with the inscription "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;

280-554: A million people visit the museum each year. The museum building was designed by architects William Templeton Johnson and Robert W. Snyder in a plateresque style to harmonize with existing structures from the Panama–California Exposition of 1915 . The dominant feature of the façade is a heavily ornamented door inspired by a doorway at the University of Salamanca . The Cathedral of Valladolid also influenced

320-440: A pedestrian-only promenade, hoping to complete the project in time to celebrate the 2015 centennial of the exposition. However, the plan was challenged in court and was overturned by a judge on February 4, 2013, on the grounds that the city had not followed its own Municipal Code requirements in approving it. The California Building with its ornate facade and blue-and-gold dome, together with the adjoining California Tower, are among

360-690: A range of artists, including Otto Dix , Egon Schiele , Alexej von Jawlensky , Gabriele Münter and Gustav Klimt from the collection of Vance E. Kondon and his wife Elisabeth Giesberger. The museum houses works by Italian masters Giorgione , Giambattista Pittoni , Giotto , Veronese , Luini and Canaletto . Works by Rubens , Hals and van Dyck represent the Northern European School. The museum regularly hosts touring exhibits and has lately been working to display its standard collection in new ways, including an upstairs gallery discussing information which can be gathered by looking on

400-485: A renovation to the rotunda, sculpture garden, façade, auditorium, and other features. The museum's collections are encyclopedic in nature, with pieces ranging in date from 5000 BC to 2012 AD. The museum's strength is in Spanish works by Murillo , Zurbarán , Cotán , Ribera and El Greco . Much of the museum's old master collection was donated by sisters Anne, Amy, and Irene Putnam. The museum's first major acquisition

440-557: Is an incorrect label as it bears very little resemblance to the California Missions. After Gill left the exposition project, the design was augmented with the Bertram Goodhue style of Spanish Colonial ornamentation in an attempt to match the architectural theme of the rest of the exposition. The building contained numerous large offices and an auditorium. It served as the planning and administrative headquarters for

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480-575: Is east of the bridge in the middle of Balboa Park and continuing to a point near the Bea Evenson Fountain (and former trolley stop) just west of Park Boulevard. The east–west street atop the two-lane bridge is called "El Prado". Many people mistakenly refer to the street as Laurel Street, which is a continuation of El Prado but ends at Sixth Avenue, and some refer to the bridge as the Laurel Street Bridge. Sixth Avenue forms

520-506: The 1915-16 Exposition, as well as a place for international receptions. During World War II it was used as a military hospital. For many years after that the building was vacant, and the city proposed to tear it down in 1978, but it was eventually restored in the 1990s (sans ornamentation) and turned over to the Museum of Us. Today it is known as the Gill Administration Building and houses the administrative offices of

560-468: The California Building. Unlike most of the exhibits at the event, the Quadrangle buildings were intended to be permanent. The Plaza de California is the main entryway to Balboa Park, approached over the Cabrillo Bridge . That entry is currently a two-lane road providing vehicle access to the park. The city approved plans to divert vehicle traffic away from the Plaza de California and restore it as

600-805: The California Quadrangle, on the west, is the first building visitors encounter as they cross the Cabrillo Bridge and enter the El Prado Complex . This is the Administration Building. It was constructed in Balboa Park as the Panama–California Exposition Administration Building, completed in 1911 and designed by Irving Gill . Gill designed the building in his high style. This style is sometimes called Mission style, but that

640-549: The Fine Arts Gallery, which opened in 1926 and is now The San Diego Museum of Art ). The building is now used by the Museum of Us. It houses a banquet hall called Evernham Hall, and is also used for temporary exhibits. The St. Francis Chapel is a small chapel in Mission style, built to add a religious note to the expo. The interior design is simple except for an elaborately decorated and gilded Spanish-style altar. To

680-674: The Lincoln Memorial and the New York Public Library. Four of the six Piccirilli brothers are credited with doing work for the California Quadrangle. Attilio (1866-1945), the head of the studio, and Furio (1868-1949) modeled the historical figures and busts on the frontispiece of the California Building. Furio also produced the spandrel figures above the West Gate; a female representing the Pacific Ocean and

720-535: The Modern Art on display in the museum. Each April since 1981 the Museum hosts its major fundraiser, "Art Alive". Floral designers use flowers and other organic materials to express their interpretation of a work of art from the Museum's permanent collection. For four days the resulting creations are displayed next to the art work that inspired them. The museum also hosts events such as "Art after Hours" and "Culture and Cocktails", which encourage attendees to sample

760-638: The Museum of Us. It is the only building still in Balboa park that bears Gill's signature style. This is a schematic map of the Panama-California Exposition as it appeared in its second year, 1916. The California Quadrangle is the blue area on the left side of the map. Cabrillo Bridge The Cabrillo Bridge is a historic bridge in San Diego, California , providing pedestrian and light automotive access between Balboa Park and

800-519: The Navy. Roosevelt made the inaugural automobile crossing along with the mayor of the city, Charles F. O'Neill. For the next two years, auto traffic was reserved mostly for dignitaries. Roosevelt returned in 1935, this time as President of the United States, to cross the bridge again for Balboa Park's second exposition . In 2014, the bridge was closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic to repave

840-462: The San Diego AGC award for excellence in project management and construction for heavy/highway construction in 2015. In July 1951, a small fire ignited in the easternmost span of the bridge. Redwood timbers, used as concrete forms in the original construction, smoldered for several hours. Once put out, the blaze was quickly forgotten. But as Balboa Park historian Richard Amero noted, the fire

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880-646: The Uptown area of San Diego. It was built for the Panama–California Exposition of 1915. The bridge was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was named a Local Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1986. The Cabrillo Bridge is one of several access routes to the cluster of museums located at the historic " El Prado Complex " (the former 1915 Panama Exposition site), which

920-496: The back of the canvas. The exhibition is complemented with a large collection of images, including portraits, Arnold Newman's work, and Mexican landscapes from the early twentieth century. Important special exhibitions that the museum has hosted include The Precious Legacy (1984). In 2024, the exhibit "Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World" features works spanning 13 centuries that show

960-481: The bridge is 916 feet (279 m) including approaches. The main span is 450 feet (140 m) long and 120 feet (37 m) high. The seven arches are each 56 feet (17 m) across and are supported by fourteen hollow concrete pillars. The bridge's construction cost reached $ 250,000 ($ 7,529,605 today). The bridge was primarily intended as a pedestrian pathway to the 1915 Exposition. It was dedicated April 12, 1914 by Franklin D. Roosevelt , then Assistant Secretary of

1000-456: The bridge is not visible from the freeway due to the unusual height of the bridge (120 feet /37 meters). The height is dictated entirely by the topography of the canyon. El Prado crosses the bridge at the same level as the ground on either end of the bridge, while State Route 163 passes beneath it at approximately the level of the original canyon floor. There is no direct access route between State Route 163 and Laurel Street or El Prado. The bridge

1040-467: The bridge, it is easy to sight those now repaired holes which the firefighters cut that day. The near-disaster spurred a major rehabilitation of the Cabrillo Bridge. A one-year Caltrans project repaired broken concrete, replaced corroded steel, and finally removed most of the old wood from the original construction. In November 2013, yet another fire burned inside the hollow bridge, again while

1080-621: The intersection of art and science. In 2010, the San Diego Museum of Art in conjunction with the Agitprop gallery created The Summer Salon Series. The program, curated by Alexander Jarman and David White, featured local emerging artists who presented and performed temporary art works and workshops in direct response to the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition. Each of the ten presentations involved Contemporary Artists' responses to

1120-469: The man made lagoon (Laguna de Puente) that at that time lay below. He survived, bruised but living. It was said that when the ambulance arrived, he sat at the edge of the lagoon and complained of a headache. After eight people jumped during the first six months of 1950 (and at least 50 total since its construction), city workers installed wrought iron fencing on both parapets of the bridge in June 1950. However,

1160-613: The most recognizable landmarks in San Diego. They house the Museum of Us . The design and ornamentation combine many style elements including Gothic , Plateresque , Baroque , Churrigueresque , and Rococo to create the impression of a Spanish Colonial church. The multi-tiered frontispiece is adorned with sculptures by the Piccirilli Brothers , a family of Italian marble carvers who also worked on famous monuments such as

1200-559: The museum's exterior design, and the architects derived interior motifs from the Santa Cruz Hospital of Toledo, Spain . The original construction took two years. Sponsor Appleton S. Bridges donated the building to the City of San Diego upon its completion. In 1966 the museum added a west wing and a sculpture court which doubled its size, and an east wing in 1974 further increased its exhibition space. Plans are underway for

1240-468: The park. It plays the Westminster Chimes every quarter-hour, and a resident carillonneur plays three songs at noon every day. The tower has been described as "San Diego's Icon," the most photographed and best-known landmark in San Diego. The State of California paid the $ 250,000 to develop the California Building and Tower for the 1915 Exposition. Although California owned the building, it

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1280-470: The right of the carved statue of Our Lady and Child is an effigy representing Didacus of Alcalá , name-saint of the city, and to commemorate the early Jesuit missions in Arizona on the left is an unknown Jesuit saint. The chapel is not generally open to the public but is available for private events such as weddings and commitment ceremonies. It was used as a military chapel during World War II. Just outside

1320-418: The road, fix sidewalks, add lights, and improve its stability during earthquakes. In June, after six months of work the planned deck renovations were completed and the bridge was re-opened for traffic. Seismic, lighting, cosmetic, and access renovations were completed in spring of 2015 with a total construction cost of approximately $ 23.3 million. Over 250 tradespeople worked on the project. The project received

1360-492: The shield of the United States and the coats of arms of California and Mexico. The California Tower is 198 feet (60 m) tall and is open for public tours as of January 1, 2015. The tower's design is Spanish while the details and color are Mexican in style. The tower is composed of three tiers that shift from a quadrangle to an octagon and then a circle. There is a Maas-Rowe carillon in the tower, first installed in 1946 and replaced in 1967. The carillon can be heard throughout

1400-631: The suicides from the bridge did not really stop until the Coronado bridge was built. The San Diego Museum of Art The San Diego Museum of Art is a fine arts museum in Balboa Park in San Diego, California , that houses a broad collection with particular strength in Spanish art. It opened as the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego on February 28, 1926, and changed to its current name in 1978. The official Balboa Park website calls it "the region's oldest and largest art museum". Nearly half

1440-503: The western boundary of Balboa Park. Laurel Street continues west from Sixth Avenue to form the southern border of San Diego International Airport , and ends at Harbor Drive on San Diego Bay . The structure is easily seen from the scenic Cabrillo Freeway (State Route 163) , which is located on the floor of the canyon below. Construction of the freeway through the canyon below the bridge was completed in February 1948. However, traffic on

1480-439: Was an "omen," and "nothing was done to reduce the likelihood of future fires." The "future" fire erupted before dawn on June 17, 2004. Once again, aged wooden concrete forms ignited, possibly the result of arson, inside the bridge columns. The fire was difficult to reach and extinguish. Firefighters saved the structure by sawing holes in the bridge's sidewalks with jackhammers and saws to pump in foam and water. If one walks across

1520-526: Was built for the Panama–California Exposition of 1915. It provided the main access across Cabrillo Canyon (formerly known as Pound Canyon, which was used to hold cattle and horses in the late 19th century). An initial design for the bridge was developed by Bertram Goodhue that featured three large arches. The design was to be similar to Toledo, Spain 's Alcántara Bridge . However, Frank P. Allen Jr. convinced Balboa Park commissioners to choose

1560-399: Was the 1939 purchase of Francisco Goya 's El Marques de Sofraga , which had belonged to a private family collection until that time and had never before been on public exhibition. The Putnam sisters provided financial backing for the purchase. The following year, director Reginald Poland acquired a portrait by Giovanni Bellini for the museum's collection. Then in 1941 the museum purchased

1600-525: Was turned over to the San Diego government in 1926. During the Exposition the California Building was the home of the expo's theme exhibit, an anthropological display called "The Story of Man through the Ages." After the expo ended, the exhibit was retained and expanded, eventually becoming the Museum of Us. On the south side of the Quadrangle is the fair's original Fine Arts Building (not to be confused with

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