Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Thesis: Open Access

Degree Name

MA History

Department

History

Committee Chair

Iris Engstrand, Ph.D., Chair

Committee Member

Molly McClain, Ph.D.

Abstract

By the early twentieth century, San Diego had been passed over by major industry when the train depot and major harbors were located in Los Angeles. In order to attract investment and trade to San Diego, the city leaders set aside their 1,400 acre park to house an exhibition in celebration of the opening of the Panama Canal. Balboa Park hosted the Panama-California Exhibition in 1915, and it was a huge success. The trade, however, never came. Twenty years after the first exhibition, the citizens and leaders of San Diego decided to host another exhibition, so in 1935, the California-Pacific International Exhibition opened to the public. Inside of buildings that were built to last only a few years sit world-class museums. Through its almost one hundred year existence, Balboa Park has shown levels of grandeur and decay. Today Balboa Park is one of the top tourist destinations in San Diego with its multiple cultural institutions and world-famous zoo. This thesis, presented in an audio guide tour form, explores the history of Balboa Park and its historic buildings. The tour will guide visitors throughout most of the park with historical information on buildings, fountains, statues, and much more. It utilizes the spoken word along with a map of the park and photos to help guide the visitors.

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