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87-633: The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is an outdoor venue that houses the open-air Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park in San Diego, California . With more than 5,000 pipes, the Spreckels Organ is the world's largest pipe organ in a fully outdoor venue. Constructed for the 1915 Panama–California Exposition , it is located at the corner of President's Way and Pan American Road East in the park. John D. Spreckels , son of sugar magnate Claus Spreckels ,

174-643: 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 pétanque and lawn bowling are based in

261-477: A nursery to propagate and grow for the park and the public. The park's gardens include 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 . The main entrance to the park is via the Cabrillo Bridge and through

348-495: A Reception Center for sailors until 1944, when those activities were transferred to Camp Elliott ; this allowed for additional hospital expansion. It was returned 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. In 1948, the funds were used to restore seven buildings that were deemed unsafe. A new addition to

435-532: A city-appointed committee hired an architect to review the buildings, and he determined that they could be restored by a slight margin over any costs to demolish the buildings. The necessary funds and materials for restoration were donated by San Diegans and the labor was financed by the federal government. Some of the buildings and infrastructure constructed for the Panama–California Exposition that still exist include: Balboa Park's second big event,

522-517: A gymnasium), and Palace of Water and Transportation (no longer existent). Other new buildings included: While some of the extensive gardens from the 1915 Panama California Exposition remained, they were redesigned from formal gardens to gardens overflowing with lush abundance of exotic plants. Many were reimagined by renowned architect Richard Requa who was influenced by the gardens he had seen traveling in Spain. Today's Alcazar garden, Zoro Garden, and

609-586: A long row of ramshackle firetraps." 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. 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 . By 1917, after $ 30,000 in repairs and modifications were made to

696-475: A name change in 1910 with the name “Balboa” becoming the reigning champion. The second theory made by Nancy Carol Carter, historian and former director of the Legal Research center at USD states that this theory is false. Through her research she discovered that the naming of the park was a four month long effort from the parks commissioners. In October of 1910 during a meeting, the commissioners decided on

783-556: A new law called the "Act to Insure the Permanency of the Park Reservation", was passed by the state legislature, which said, "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". It was around this time that San Diego residents were developing fondness for the park, as illustrated by their insistence on keeping the park intact when in 1871 there

870-417: 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. One of

957-519: A slight profit, which was donated to the San Diego Museum in the park. Roosevelt, approving of the buildings' architecture, recommended that the "buildings of rare phenomenal taste and beauty" be left as permanent additions. The majority of the buildings were only supposed to remain standing through 1916 and were not constructed with long-lasting materials. When the expo ended, several city discussions were held to determine what to do with

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1044-614: 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. A 36-year-old woman was gang-raped and murdered in the park in June 1986. To counter the increase in crime, city officials expanded police patrols in the park, and many of the individual museums hired security guards. After two murders in 1993 and

1131-540: A telegraph button in Washington, D.C., to symbolically open the ceremonies by turning on the power at the park. 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 attracted

1218-521: 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. Queen Elizabeth II presented at the dedication ceremony for the theatre in 1983. Throughout the 1980s, there were multiple reports throughout Balboa Park of vandalism, murder, rape, arson, and minor petty crimes. The resulting negative publicity during this period inspired Bruce Springsteen to write

1305-869: A very common issue. The Exposition took ten months to build. It attracted 7,220,000 visitors during its 377 days of operation. Visitors brought US$ 37.7 million to San Diego. The cost was US$ 20 million. Admission was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children 2–11. Four restaurants provided meals: Cafe of the World, Palisades Cafe, Spanish Kitchens, and the Pioneer Days Restaurant. Twenty-one nations participated: Argentina , British Empire , Chile , China , Czechoslovakia , Denmark , Germany , Honduras , Irish Free State , Italy , Japan , Nicaragua , Norway , Panama , Paraguay , Portugal , Sweden , Uruguay , United States and Yugoslavia . Park improvements amounted to US$ 6 million. The exposition

1392-548: A walking silver robot; and a strange new electrical device called a "television". Like the first exposition, the 1935 Fair was so successful it was extended for a second year. 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; other notable guests included Herbert Hoover , Mae West , and Jack Dempsey . Funded at $ 20 million,

1479-522: 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, and a camp for Camp Fire . 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

1566-481: Is now the world's largest pipe organ in a fully outdoor venue, although western New York has the larger Massey Memorial Organ in an open-air auditorium with a roof. Free organ concerts are given in Balboa Park at 2:00 pm each Sunday afternoon, sponsored by San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, the Spreckels Organ Society, and private donations. On Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. during

1653-516: Is performed on the Spreckels stage. The San Diego Community Christmas Center displays nativity scenes in the pavilion during the Christmas season. Numerous high school and college graduations are also held at the organ pavilion. On August 31, 2014, Drive Like Jehu reunited for a performance at the pavilion, accompanied by civic organist Carol Williams. The collaboration was facilitated by

1740-589: The Alta California authorities set aside a 1,400-acre (570 ha) tract of pueblo land in San Diego to be used for the public's recreational purposes. 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

1827-573: The California Pacific International Exposition , came in 1935. This Exposition was intended to promote the city and remedy San Diego's Great Depression 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. Facilities added at that time and still in use include the Old Globe Theatre ,

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1914-582: The California Quadrangle . That entry is currently a two-lane road providing vehicle access to the park. A plan to divert vehicle traffic around to the south of the California Quadrangle, so as to restore it as a pedestrian-only promenade, was dropped after legal challenges, but was reapproved after the legal challenges failed and was scheduled for completion in 2019. El Prado, a long, wide promenade and boulevard, runs through

2001-550: The National Register of Historic Places . Balboa Park contains museums, gardens, attractions, and venues. The park is essentially rectangular, 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

2088-564: The National Register of Historic Places . 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 . The Aerospace Museum (now the San Diego Air & Space Museum ) lost over $ 4 million in exhibits, and was reopened after moving into the old Ford Building . The Old Globe Theatre produced its 1978 season on

2175-978: 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 . Next to the promenade are the San Diego Air & Space Museum and

2262-654: The San Diego Automotive Museum . Theatrical and musical venues include the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, featuring one of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs; the Old Globe Theatre complex, which includes a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre 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,

2349-554: The San Diego Zoo . It is managed and maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Diego. Balboa Park hosted the 1915–16 Panama–California Exposition and 1935–36 California Pacific International Exposition , both of which left architectural landmarks. The park and its historic exposition buildings were declared a National Historic Landmark and National Historic Landmark District in 1977, and placed on

2436-737: 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

2523-494: The now-called in 1935–36, had a stock company of actors that signed with the Screen Actors Guild and The Dominos Club of Hollywood (social organization for actresses, including: Carole Lombard , Thelma Todd , and ZaSu Pitts ). The buildings from the 1915 fair were in Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style, designed by Bertram Goodhue and Carleton Winslow . Architect Richard Requa designed

2610-488: The "One Ton Mechanical Man." The idea for an exposition came from Frank Drugan, a newcomer to San Diego, California, who arrived in 1933. He recognized the potential of the buildings in Balboa Park left over from the 1915–16 exposition; the buildings had been designed to be temporary, but had been refurbished and upgraded several times and were available for use. In addition, Chicago 's " Century of Progress " fair

2697-549: The 1915 opening of the Panama Canal . Davidson believed an expo would help improve commerce (it would advertise that San Diego was the first U.S. port of call vessels encountered after passing through the canal and sailing north), build the city's population, and expand the infrastructure of the park. He later explained the significance of holding the expo in San Diego: "I felt something must be done to get our city on

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2784-419: The 1935–1936 event counted 6.7 million visitors—almost double the total of the 1915–16 exposition. At the conclusion of the expo, San Diegans voted again on 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

2871-556: The 1950s. Surrounding the park are many of San Diego's older neighborhoods, including Downtown , Bankers Hill , North Park , and Golden Hill . Balboa Park is a primary attraction in San Diego and the region. Its many mature, and sometimes rare, trees and groves comprise an urban forest . Many of the original trees were planted by the renowned American landscape architect , botanist , plantswoman , and gardener Kate Sessions . An early proponent of drought tolerant and California native plants in garden design , Sessions established

2958-524: The 47,000 acres. Three years later, the Mexican government was forced by the Mexican–American War to cede Alta California, including San Diego, to the United States. On February 15, 1868, the city's Board of Trustees was asked to create a public park out of two 160-acre (65 ha) plots of land just northeast of the growing urban center of "New Town"—present-day Downtown San Diego . The request

3045-724: The El Prado side. Located in the eastern third of the park is Morley Field Sports Complex , which includes the Balboa Park Golf Complex, which contains a public 18-hole golf course and 9-hole executive course; the San Diego Velodrome ; baseball and softball fields; cross country running course; the USTA -honored Balboa Tennis Club and tennis courts; archery ranges; the Bud Kearn public swimming pool; and

3132-598: The International Cottages, and the Spanish Village. The 1935 Exposition left behind colorful stories of 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. The Exposition also provided visitors with early glimpses of 'Alpha',

3219-616: The Panama Canal opening, the majority of the funds went to the San Francisco expo. In anticipation of the exposition, many of San Diego's business and city leaders began to develop separate plans for the park. John D. Spreckels , owner of the San Diego Electric Railway , wanted to shift the location of the main public plaza to add room for exhibitors — and to allow his streetcar system to traverse

3306-485: The Spreckels Organ Society board of directors. The novelty of playing with the accompaniment of the organ was a key factor in bringing the band back together. Balboa Park (San Diego) Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California . Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The park hosts various museums, theaters, restaurants, and

3393-455: The United States to maintain a minimum of 200,000 military members. He also requested that San Diegans permanently keep the temporary buildings set up for the exposition. Former President William Howard Taft also spoke at the pavilion to over 7,000 people on September 16, 1915. Taft commended the city on the architecture used for the exposition buildings. John D. Spreckels also donated the services of renowned organist Humphrey John Stewart for

3480-691: The buildings most deteriorated or that had burned were carefully rebuilt to restore the original style and scale of the park's public spaces. In October 2010, the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. opened an exhibition titled Designing Tomorrow: America's World's Fairs of the 1930s . This exhibition, which was available for view until September 2011, prominently featured the California Pacific International Exposition. Featured on

3567-453: The buildings were kept. 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 . Buildings within the park were used for multiple purposes, including hospital wards, training facilities, and barracks . After the attack on Pearl Harbor , many of the wounded were transported to Camp Kidd's hospital wards. Camp Kidd also served as

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3654-787: 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." 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." However,

3741-569: The city and private charities such as the Committee of 100 undertook a major effort to restore the park's historic buildings. 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." Several crumbling buildings were torn down and replaced with permanent structures which were carefully detailed to maintain

3828-506: 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, designed by Carleton Winslow , was the largest wood lath structure in the world when it was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. It contains large specimen palms and other plants and sits next to a long reflecting pool on

3915-663: 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" 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

4002-417: The early 1980s from the city and a local nonprofit. Initially, Bertram Goodhue 's plans for Balboa Park for the Panama-California Exposition included a music pavilion that would be located north of Plaza de Panama . After Brazil decided not to participate with a building in the exposition, the pavilion was built at its site, instead. Spreckels chose Harrison Albright to design the organ pavilion. Albright

4089-607: The exhibition buildings. 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. Balboa Park, and the historic Exposition buildings, were declared a National Historic Landmark and National Historic Landmark District in 1977, and placed on

4176-430: The expo; he made major decisions such as locating the expo on the park's central mesa, using California Mission Revival Style architecture for the buildings, and featuring "human progress" as the theme. A similar fair, the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition , was also planned in "far to the north" San Francisco to celebrate the canal opening. Although $ 5 million had been set aside by Congress for celebrations of

4263-496: The garden at Cafe del Rey Moro are all Requa designs. In honor of the California Pacific International Exposition, the federal government released a commemorative silver half dollar . A three-cent postage stamp ( Scott catalog 773) was also issued. It presents a view of the Exposition grounds, and has the same wording as the reverse of the half dollar, plus the dates "1535 1935". Over 100 million were printed, making this

4350-401: 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." It has been long debated as to how Balboa Park’s name changed from City Park to Balboa Park. The most popular theory states that in order to prepare for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, city officials held a contest for

4437-421: 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." 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

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4524-595: 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. A lavish groundbreaking ceremony for the fair's construction was held in July 1911. On December 31, 1914, the Panama–California Exposition opened, with Balboa Park "crammed full" of spectators. President Woodrow Wilson pushed

4611-427: The name Balboa. San Diego would be the smallest city to ever hold a World's Fair; its population at the time was less than 40,000. 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). Developer and civic leader D. C. Collier was chosen as General Director of

4698-457: The national attention organizers had sought. Even Pennsylvania's Liberty Bell made a brief three-day appearance in November 1915. The event was such a success the fair was extended through 1916. Over the two years, it drew more than 3.7 million visitors, including Henry Ford , William Jennings Bryan , Thomas Edison , Theodore Roosevelt , and William Howard Taft . The expo actually turned

4785-591: The new permanent buildings to be added for the 1935 fair. He wrote that his goal was to relate pre-Columbian Indian buildings and temples, like those found in the Southwest and Mexico, to the modern era; his model was the 1915 New Mexico Building, which he remodeled into a Palace of Education. Many of the new large buildings were in this style, including the California State Building (now the San Diego Automotive Museum ), Palace of Electricity (now

4872-458: The old Federal Building. California Pacific International Exposition The 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. The exposition was held in Balboa Park , San Diego's large central urban park , which had also been the site of the earlier Panama–California Exposition in 1915. The Exposition

4959-548: The organ's sound. During the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition , the stage size was doubled and a fountain was added. The fountain can be lit at night and is modeled after one in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City . In 1981, the pavilion was restored, and in 2002, the organ was expanded from 3,400 to 4,518 pipes. In 2015, the organ was expanded to 80 ranks and 5,017 pipes. San Diego's Spreckels Organ

5046-587: 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 . 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

5133-544: The original buildings, over 5,000 U.S. troops were using the park for training. 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 19, 1914, Marine Barracks, Balboa Park , was established as the second, and during its period, and only Marine base in San Diego. It

5220-636: The park and extend to the North Park and University Heights neighborhoods. 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, who sought a regionally appropriate aesthetic to use in Southern California . Goodhue and associate architect Carleton Winslow chose to use the styles of highly ornamented Spanish Baroque architecture with

5307-489: The park during the post-war 1940s was the carillon in the California Tower (1946), which chimes the time every quarter-hour. The San Diego Junior Theater, a program of the Old Globe Theatre, was established in 1948, performing in the Prado Theatre. 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

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5394-492: The park were in the "Golden Hill Park" area off 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 . Indigenous Californians and Bajenos began to flock to the Kumeyaay village in Florida Canyon looking for work in San Diego during this period. A Native Californian urban exclave

5481-420: The park's center. Most of the buildings lining this street are in the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style, a richly ornamented mixture of European Spanish architecture and the Spanish Colonial architecture of New Spain - Mexico . Along this boulevard are many of the park's museums and cultural attractions, including the Museum of Us , the San Diego Museum of Art , the Museum of Photographic Arts ,

5568-399: The park. The park is crossed by several freeways, which take up a total of 111 acres (0.45 km ) once designated for parkland. In 1948, State Route 163 was built through Cabrillo Canyon and under the Cabrillo Bridge . This stretch of road, initially named the Cabrillo Freeway, has been called one of America's most beautiful parkways. A portion of Interstate 5 was built in the park in

5655-474: The park. There is also Spanish Art Village which consists of art shops. Prior to the establishment of the park, the area was home to a Kumeyaay village informally known as Hatam's Village (or Hata'am) in Florida Canyon just south of what is now Naval Medical Center San Diego . Its existence survived the 1852 effort to remove Kumeyaay villages within half a mile of the city. The village was kept active under Jośe Manuel Polton, also known as Hatam, who transformed

5742-427: The pavilion. After Spreckels' announcement, a local orchestra performed Jacques Offenbach 's Orpheus in the Underworld , which was then followed by a 250-person chorus that sang pieces from Joseph Haydn 's oratorio , The Creation . On July 27, 1915, former President Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech at the organ pavilion in front of nearly 19,000 people. He touched on topics about world peace and his desire for

5829-405: 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 mesas. The Sixth Avenue Mesa

5916-406: 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. 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

6003-491: The size of a pencil. The console had four manuals, and a pedal keyboard. The electrically powered blower had 20 horsepower, and was situated two floors below the pipes. Working pipes were located behind gilded pipes, most of which (apart from 15) were mute. Today, it has 80 ranks totaling 5,017 pipes and faces north to protect the pipes from the sunlight. The audience, therefore, faces south. Commercial airplane landings at San Diego International Airport occasionally compete with

6090-429: The summer, The Spreckels Summer International Organ Festival is presented by the Spreckels Organ Society. Concerts include a silent movie with organ accompaniment, similar to the original orchestral performance that would have been heard in theaters during that time. During the summer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, "Twilight in the Park" provides mixed popular concerts. The annual December Nights celebration

6177-412: The summer. 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. 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,

6264-418: The two-year run of the exposition. After the exposition, Spreckels extended Stewart's contract. When Spreckels died in 1926, the pavilion was used for his memorial service. The U.S. Navy borrowed Balboa Park during World War II, and no organ concerts were played during 1942–1948. During the 1970s and 1980s, the pavilion fell into disuse and risked being demolished. Around $ 1.1 million were raised for repairs by

6351-411: The village into an urban Native American neighborhood for urbanized Native Californians and Baja Californians in San Diego seeking jobs. The neighborhood lasted into the 1890s through the advocacy of Hatam and his successor Juan Gonzales before it was dismantled and became Balboa Park. Spain and later Mexico made a practice of setting aside large tracts of land for the common use of citizens. In 1835,

6438-484: Was a self-taught Los Angeles architect, who previously designed the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. The semicircular pavilion was built by the F. Wurster Construction Company in an ornate Italian-Renaissance design. The organ was built by Austin Organs, Inc. as their Opus #453. In 1915, it had 48 ranks or 3,400 pipes, in five divisions, ranging in size from 32 feet (9.8 m) down to small pipes that were about

6525-533: Was an attempt to overturn the state law so as to allow for private purchase of some of the park land. At the urging of would-be land speculators and the city attorney, State Senator James McCoy quietly introduced a bill in the California state legislature to repeal the 1870 law. A San Diego resident learned of the plan and informed higher powers at the state level in Sacramento, California . The conspiracy

6612-420: Was built up in the canyon, which lasted up until the 1900s when the neighborhood was torn down in preparation for the Panama–California Exposition. Preparations for the 1915 Panama–California Exposition created much of the park's present-day look-and-feel and designed amenities. Beginning in 1909, San Diego Chamber of Commerce president G. Aubrey Davidson suggested that the park hold an expo to coincide with

6699-524: Was called an economic survivor, mostly due to the investments he had made and the potential they had to skyrocket. He supported the Panama-California Exposition , and during its construction, he and his brother Adolph B. Spreckels gave the organ pavilion as a gift to "the people of San Diego" and "the people of all the world" on December 31, 1914. They donated $ 33,500 ($ 1,019,023 today) for the organ and $ 66,500 ($ 2,022,837 today) for

6786-558: Was established by Marines under the command of Colonel Pendleton . 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 . 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. Although some buildings were scheduled to be demolished due to disrepair, several San Diego groups organized to ensure

6873-473: Was formed by citizens to protect the park buildings. The Committee convinced the City Council to enact resolutions that now require any new buildings to be designed and constructed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style . The Committee also worked with various government agencies for the remaining original buildings to be declared a National Historic Landmark , which was awarded in 1978. In the latter 1990s

6960-514: Was held to promote San Diego and support its economy, which had slowed with the country's Great Depression . The first year was such a financial and attendance success that it was held over for a second year. The exposition had hundreds of exhibits on history, the arts, horticulture, ethnic cultures, science, and industry. Some concessions and exhibits were unusual, such as the Gold Gulch , Lost Continent of Mu , Zoro Garden Nudist Colony , and

7047-514: Was home to bobcats, rattlesnakes, coyotes, and other wildlife. 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, some buildings were constructed, including an orphanage and women's shelter (later burned down), a high school (Russ High School – later San Diego High School ), and several gardens maintained by various private groups. One of

7134-593: Was just ending, and many of its exhibits could be transported for use in another fair. That exposition had paid for itself, and he was sure a San Diego exposition could do so as well. He promoted the idea of a new exposition, using the existing buildings and adding new ones, as a way of boosting San Diego's economy. He convinced local business people to support the idea. The Exposition incorporated in August 1934. Construction of new buildings began in January 1935. The project

7221-512: Was leaked to the press, 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. 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 . For the first few decades of its existence, "City Park" remained mostly open space. The land, lacking trees and covered in native wildflowers,

7308-497: Was made by one of the Trustees, E. W. Morse , who had picked the site in coordination with real estate developer Alonzo Horton . There is a sculptural group of Horton, Marston, and Morse by Ruth Hayward in the park. Subsequently, a resolution to set aside for a large city park not just two plots of land, but nine plots totaling 1,400 acres (570 ha), was approved by the city's Board of Trustees on May 26, 1868. Then in 1870,

7395-626: Was one of the wealthiest residents in San Diego County . John D. Spreckles, the creator of the Spreckels organ pavilion, gifted the organ and the building to the city of San Diego. When it was given to the city,  it was said it would be used for free entertainment for the people. John D. Spreckle s has invested in or owned many places such as the Hotel del Coronado, and the San Diego Union-Tribune.  John D. Spreckles

7482-625: Was rushed through for a May opening. The foundations of some structures, such as the Electric Building and the Ford Building , were laid even before the final plans for the buildings had been drawn up. During March and April, 2,700 people worked around the clock on the Exposition. Approximately 65% of them were relief workers whose wages were paid by the federal government; the remainder were employees of private contractors. The Hollywood Motion Picture Hall of Fame exhibit, at

7569-429: 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 their replacement by aesthetically clashing modern architecture style of the new buildings "created an uproar" in San Diego's community. A 'Committee of One Hundred'

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