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Balboa Park - On May 26, 1868, a 1400 acre tract of nine
city pueblo lots was set aside as a public park by the Board of
Trustees of the City of San Diego following the recommendations of
a far-sighted citizens committee. In 1892, Kate O. Sessions, San
Diego's patron saint of horticulture, asked city officials to
lease 30 acres of "City Park" to her for a nursery. In
return, she would plant 100 trees per year throughout the park and
donate others to the city for planting elsewhere. By 1902, a Park
Improvement Committee had been formed and raised funds to employ
Samuel Parsons, a landscape architect, to draw up a comprehensive
plan for the Park. The continuing development and
"building" of Balboa Park owes much of the development
to two world fairs, the Panama-California Exposition of
1915-16,and the California Pacific International Exposition of
1935-36. 1960 a master plan for Balboa Park was submitted and used
to continue the growth and future development of the Park.
Improved landscaping, modernization of buildings and roadways, and
improved pedestrian walkways and access is the result of the care
and concern of the people of San Diego. |
