The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Winter 1990, Volume 36, Number 1
Thomas L. Scharf, Editor

Back to the article: Making of the Panama-California Exposition

exposition's proposed coat-of-arms  
The 1915 exposition’s proposed coat-of-arms.

Col. D.C. Collier  
Real estate developer Col. D.C. Collier was made Director-General of the 1915 exposition.

Ulysses S. Grant Jr  
Ulysses S. Grant Jr. was selected to be the president of the Panama-California Exposition Co.

John D. Spreckels  
John D. Spreckels, San Diego developer, was appointed first vice president of the exposition company

Joseph W. Sefton, Jr  
Joseph W. Sefton, Jr. served as acting Director-General during Col. Collier’s absence.

site for the exposition  
The empty building site for the exposition.

Clarence Stein's drawing  
Clarence Stein’s drawing of Bertram Goodhue’s plan for the California Tower.

Groundbreaking for the exposition  
Groundbreaking for the exposition began on July 19, 1911 with a military mass in a small canyon in Balboa Park.

groundbreaking ceremonies.  
Several officials took turns loosening the sod with a silver spade.

groundbreaking ceremonies  
The altar for the groundbreaking ceremonies.

Grand Marshall and aides  
The Grand Marshall and aides at the groundbreaking parade.

Morley Slayton portrayed King Cabrillo  
On the first day of the ceremonies Morley Slayton portrayed “King Cabrillo”.

Queen Ramona  
“King Cabrillo” was escorted to the Court House where the newly-crowned “Queen Ramona” awaited him.

Women's Christian Temperance Union float  
The second day of celebration featured floats, like this one representing the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which paraded down D. Street.

float  
On the third day representatives of industry and fraternal organizations (left and below) put on a parade with fire department wagons and equipment. Image# 89-17802.jpg

The Fraternal Brotherhood  
The Fraternal Brotherhood

21 mission pageant  
The last day of festivities featured a mission pageant depicting each of the twenty-one California missions.

Laying the cornerstone of the California Building.  
Laying the cornerstone of the California Building.

 
Exposition construction, c. 1913. Looking east at the intersection of the Plaza de Panama with El Prado. [building left center is Home Economy Building]

 
View looking east along El Prado with the framework of the California Building tower beginning to rise.

artisan  
An artisan completing a design for an exposition building facade.

Indian Arts Building  
Most exposition buildings, like the Indian Arts Building, were not designed to remain standing after the exposition closed.

California Building  
The California Building was designed, along with four others, to be permanent.

The interior of Fine Arts Building  
The interior of the Fine Arts Building displayed vaulting and clerestory windows

balcony Fine Arts Building  
, Putti, representing the four arts, adorned a balcony at the east end of the museum.

St. Francis Chapel  
The magnificent altar of the St. Francis Chapel.

Japanese tea pavilion  
The Japanese tea pavilion was modeled after an ornate temple in Kyoto. Sections of it were made in Japan and then assembled in San Diego.

Commerce and Industries Building  
The Commerce and Industries Building

The House of Hospitality  
The House of Hospitality

Food and Beverage Building  
The east side of the Food and Beverage Building

Indian Arts Building and tower of the Science of Man Building  
The Indian Arts Building and tower of the Science of Man Building. x

The rear of the Food and Beverage Building  
The rear of the Food and Beverage Building

Postcard  
Advertising piece for the 1915 exposition.

Exposition buildings  
Exposition buildings as they appeared in the late 1920s. Their architecture continues to delight visitors to the present day.