Author Description

In 1915, San Diego stepped into the international spotlight with the staging of the Panama-California Exposition on land that only a few years prior to the opening was a dusty park on the outskirts of downtown. A century later, Bertram Goodhue's vision of a romantic "city" of richly ornamented Mexican and Spanish-Colonial style buildings still captivates visitors to Balboa Park, which has also grown and changed through the years. Another exposition, the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition, added a new layer of history, buildings and gardens to the park with the vision of master architect Richard Requa.In commemoration of the centennial of the Panama-California Exposition, "The Art Traveler Guide, A Portrait of Balboa Park," outlines a walking tour of the Balboa Park's most significant historical buildings and gardens. Original paintings, done in acrylic on canvas or paper, by RD Riccoboni vividly illustrate each landmark, and a forward by Bruce Coons, executive director of Save Our Heritage Organisation, introduces the colorful history of this San Diego gem.The tour begins at the historical Marston House in the northwest corner of Balboa Park and crosses Cabrillo Bridge to enter the core of the park through the Atlantic Pacific Arch. From the central corridor of El Prado to Spanish Village, the Spreckels Organ Pavilion and the Palisades area that includes the Ford Building and the Santa Fe Building, each corner of the park has its own story to tell.The tour ends at the House of Pacific Relations, a cluster of cottages built in 1935 to promote peaceful harmony between representatives of the nations that occupy the buildings.