Balboa Park
This postcard/study is an ode to Balboa Park, one of my favorite and most frequently visited spots in San Diego. I recently walked for graduation at the Organ Pavilion. It felt fitting to share some of my favorite spots around the park, and to celebrate/thank you for your support during my return to school. Cheers!
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Formerly named City Park until 1910.
Starting in 1968 1,400 acres made up Balboa Park. Now the park measures in at 1,200. The San Diego attraction is larger than Central Park which comes in at 843 acres.
The park is home to 20 museums, 14 gardens, 1 zoo, and 1 organ pavilion.
The Panama Canal Exposition was held at Balboa Park over two years, 1915 - 1917.
The Liberty Bell made a stop in Balboa Park during this time. The bell was on its way back to Philadelphia from San Francisco.
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Towering over Route 163, seven arches hold up the 916’ long pedestrian and automobile bridge lined with light posts.
Construction started on the bridge in 1912. The bridge was built with about 1 million redwood boards and concrete. Multiple fires over the years forced the City to remove the wood boards from the structure.
The bridge leads you from 6th St. on the Western border of the park into the El Prado Complex, the center of the park.
As you cross the bridge from 6th street you are welcomed into the Prado by the California Quadrangle. This plaza features the California building and tower, along with the little known Chapel of St Francis.
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The Botanical Building was recently renovated and reopened in the winter of 2024. The renovation resolved structural issues that the building had.
The new building is beautiful, but personally, I miss the presence of the previous matured plants inside.
The building is preceded by two lily ponds that are home to turtles, koi fish, and are a common resting place for ducks.
From the time it was built in 1915, the larger pond has had multiple uses over the years:
In WW1 (1914-1918) the pond was used for naval rowing and swimming training.
In WW2 (1939-1945) the pond was used as a physical therapy pool by wounded soldiers throughout the war.
From 1945-1949 the pond was opened to children for swimming and adults for bait and fly casting - I hope not both at the same time.
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A free weekly concert is held at the pavilion every Sunday from 2pm - 3pm.
During the summer an International Organ festival is held at the Pavillion on Monday nights.
The Organ was built in 1915 for the Panama Canal Exposition by Austin Organs Inc. Today the Organ has 5,000 pipes, ranging in height from 12 inches to 32 feet.
The tree lighting ceremony for December Nights takes place on the stage of the Organ Pavillion.
I walked for graduation here this spring! Thank you again for your support and being an inspiration to my art.
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A vibrant fountain located by the Natural Museum (my favorite) and the Rueben H. Fleet Center. It sits on the far eastern side of the park. Here you can cross the pedestrian bridge over Park Blvd. to the rose garden.
The fountain was built in 1972 and named after/dedicated to civic volunteer Bea Evenson in May 1982.
Bea put together the "Committee of 100” which raised money to restore Balboa Park and provide civic leadership.
The font used for the title in the map above for Bea Fountain is named Bea.
I am a big fan of and recommend checking out Taylor Pentons’ monthly font club here.
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Reggie is no longer a fan of walking around inside of Balboa Park.
The walks start with sitting in protest at crosswalks, then he begrudgingly allows you to walk him about halfway into the park. From there he will slowly walk you back to the car before you even realize it.
Reggie loves a session of fetch on the lawn at the most western side of the park - not pictured in the above line map.
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