California Pacific International Exposition (1935)

The California Pacific International Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California during May 29, 1935–November 11, 1935 and February 12, 1936–September 9, 1936. The exposition was held at the site of the earlier 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego's large, urban Balboa Park.

Exposition

The reason the Exposition was held was to promote San Diego.The exposition was a success due to careful planning and employee training, with arrangements for restaurants, theatres, security, transportation, and other important details.

The exposition had hundreds of exhibits in history, arts, science, and industry.Some exhibits were unusual, such as Zoro Garden Nudist Colony or the 1 ton (900 kg.) Mechanical Man, and some were not-so-scientific, such as the Lost Continent of Mu.

Architecture

The architecture of buildings from the 1915 fair was Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture, while the few new buildings added in the 1935 fair were the more sterile Vernacular Style, but with interesting Art Deco touches, such as murals. Exotic landscaping was planted around the buildings.The newer buildings are at Presidents Way, southwest of the original buildings at El Prado.

Coinage

In honor of the California Pacific International Exposition, the federal government released a commemorative silver half dollar; today referred to as the San Diego Half. The coin was authorized by congress and released with a stamp. Produced largly to sell to collectors for profit, 480,000 in total were minted, but all but 70,132 in 1935 in San Francisco and in 1936 30,092 in Denver were ultimately melted because they were unsold. The obverse depicts liberty seated with a spear in her right hand a shield with the state motto “eureka” above the head of medusa (California's former state seal). Also there is a bear to liberty's right and in the background there is a ship and a miner; all symbols of California. The reverse depicts the what is now the dome and tower of the Museum of Man in Balboa Park and reads “California Pacific International Exposition” and “San Diego” as well as the mint and year of mintage. These coins were not widely circulated, but some slightly worn examples imply some circulation.

tatistics

The Exposition took ten months to build.It attracted 7,220,000 visitors during its 377 days of operation. Visitors brought US$ 37,700,000 to San Diego. It employed 2700 people, half of them Federal relief workers. The cost was US$ 20,000,000. Admission was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children 2-11.

Four restaurants provided meals: Cafe of the World, Palisades Cafe, Spanish Kitchens, and the Pioneer Days Restaurant.

Twenty-one nations participated: Argentina, British Empire, Chile, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Germany, Honduras, Irish Free State, Italy, Japan, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Sweden, Uruguay, United States, Yugoslavia, and one unknown.

Legacy

Park improvements amounted to US$ 6,000,000. The exposition was so popular that some buildings were rebuilt to be made more permanent. Many buildings or reconstructed versions remain in use today, and are used by several museums and theatres in Balboa Park.

In the early 1960s destruction of a few of the buildings and replacement by modern, clashing buildings created an uproar in San Diego. A Committee of One Hundred was formed by citizens to protect the park buildings. They convinced the City Council to require new buildings to be built in Spanish Colonial Revival Style and worked with various government agencies to have the remaining buildings declared as a National Historic Landmark in 1978. In the late 1990s, the most deteriorated buildings and burned buildings were rebuilt.

ee also

* California Pacific International Exposition Official Guide; Souvenir Program and Picture Book. 84 pages.

External links

* [http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/85fall/wantexpo.htm "Do You Want an Exposition? San Diego's 1935 Fair in Photographs", 'The Journal of San Diego History" 31:4 (Fall 1985) by Larry and Jane Booth]
* [http://www.sandiegohistory.org/calpac/35expo99.htm California Pacific Exposition San Diego 1935-1936] History by Richard Amero (San Diego Historical Society)
* [http://epicovers.com/crosby/collections/cpie/ "The Crosby Exhibit of 1935 California Pacific International Exposition Covers"] - Philatelic Exhibit (November 1999) by Lawrence Gregg