III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 15 

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the 1915 Panama–California 

Exposition and the establishment of Balboa Park in San Diego, California. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 4, 2015 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mrs. BOXER) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the 1915 Panama–California Exposition and the establishment of Balboa Park in San Diego, California. 

Whereas in 1868, San Diego civic leaders set aside 1,400 

acres of land, which became known as City Park; 

Whereas in 1910, in preparation for the Panama–California 

Exposition hosted by San Diego, that park was named 

‘‘Balboa Park’’ in honor of Spanish-born Vasco Nun ̃ez de 

Balboa, the first European to see the Pacific Ocean while 

exploring in present-day Panama; 

Whereas the 1915–1916 Panama–California Exposition commemorated the opening of the Panama Canal and was 

the first of two expositions that added to Balboa Park’s 

dramatic architecture; 

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Whereas in 1914, John D. and Adolph Spreckels donated the 

Spreckels Organ, one of the world’s largest outdoor pipe 

organs, to the City of San Diego for the Panama–California Exposition, and this unique organ contains 4,530 

pipes ranging in length from the size of a pencil to 32 

feet and is housed in an ornate vaulted structure with 

highly embellished gables; 

Whereas the San Diego Zoo was established in Balboa Park 

at the close of the Exposition in the fall of 1916, when 

Dr. Harry Wegeforth, a local physician, conceived the 

idea of starting a zoo after hearing the roar of a lion, one 

of the few wild animals displayed in cages at the Exposition, and the Balboa Zoo is now home to more than 

3,700 rare and endangered animals representing over 

660 species and subspecies and a prominent botanical 

collection with more than 700,000 plants—a world famous conservation organization where visitors view exotic 

animals in habitat environments; 

Whereas in 1926, the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, now 

the San Diego Museum of Art, opened to the public, and 

its renowned holdings include a fine selection of European old masters, 19th and 20th century American art, 

an encyclopedic Asian collection, and growing collections 

of contemporary and Latin American art; 

Whereas in 1933, the San Diego Natural History Museum 

opened within the park and is housed in a building created with Works Project Administration assistance; 

Whereas in 1935–1936, Balboa Park hosted its second major 

exposition, the California Pacific International Exposition, which helped boost the local economy during the 

depression and added additional structures and landmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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scaping, many of which now host cultural institutions and 

events; 

Whereas the internationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning 

Old Globe, one of the most esteemed regional theaters in 

the country, was founded within Balboa Park in 1935, 

and now boasts three unique venues: the historic Old 

Globe Theatre (built for the 1935 exposition and expanded and rebuilt in 1978), the intimate Sheryl and 

Harvey White Theatre, and the outdoor Lowell Davies 

Festival Theatre; 

Whereas Balboa Park helped support military efforts in 

World War I and World War II, when most of the buildings on the Central Mesa became adjuncts to the adjacent Naval hospital, the House of Hospitality became a 

nurses’ dormitory, the Lily Pond became a rehabilitation 

pool, and 400 hospital beds were placed in the San Diego 

Fine Arts Gallery; 

Whereas, on December 25, 1946, the California Tower carillon was installed; whose chimes are still heard across 

the park on every quarter hour; 

Whereas in 1978, two devastating fires struck Balboa Park, 

resulting in the destruction of the Electric Building, including the San Diego Aerospace Museum collection, and 

the 1935 Old Globe Theatre, both of which were rebuilt 

with private donations; 

Whereas in the 1980s, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the Museum of Photographic Arts, the San Diego 

Automotive Museum and the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center all opened within Balboa Park; 

Whereas in the 1990s, the beautiful Japanese Friendship 

Garden, the Mingei International Museum, the San 

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Diego Art Institute: Museum of the Living Artist, the 

WorldBeat Center, and the Hall of Champions Sports 

Museum opened; 

Whereas Balboa Park has grown to become the one of the 

Nation’s largest urban cultural parks, encompassing 

more than 1,172 acres, including 14 formal gardens, and 

the park is home to 15 major museums, nearly 100 arts, 

education, recreational, social and sports organizations, 

renowned performing arts venues, as well as the world famous San Diego Zoo; 

Whereas Balboa Park celebrates history, art, music, science, 

and culture and has been a city treasure for one century; 

and 

Whereas the 2015 centennial anniversary of the Panama– 

California Exposition and the establishment of Balboa 

Park is an achievement of historic proportions for the 

City of San Diego, the State of California, and the 

United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress commemorates the 100th an3 niversary of the Panama–California Exposition and the 

4 founding of Balboa Park in San Diego, California, on May 

5 9, 2015. 

Æ 

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