Flashback: Oct. 23, 1902 — The birth of big, beautiful Balboa Park

by Debbie L. Sklar • Times of San Diego

La Laguna de Las Flores, The Arcade — at the Panama-California Exposition, Balboa Park, San Diego, 1916. (Photo courtesy of Carleton Monroe Winslow, via Wikimedia Commons/public domain)

On Oct. 23, 1902, San Diego was about to get a big dose of imagination and green space. Samuel Parsons Jr., a celebrated landscape architect, was scheduled to arrive in December to design what would become Balboa Park, the city’s crown jewel of gardens, culture, and community life.

Food and Beverage Building – Balboa Park – Expo – 1915. (Photo courtesy of the San Diego History Center)

Balboa Park Main Street Theine on horse with dog jumping 05-15-1913. (Photo courtesy of the San Diego History Center)

Parsons envisioned turning a rugged, sunbaked stretch of land into a park where nature, art, and recreation came together. He imagined lush gardens, shaded promenades, and open spaces perfect for strolls, family picnics, and neighborhood gatherings.

Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park in 1915. One dog appears to be pushing another dog in a miniature car. (Photo courtesy of the San Diego History Center)

This wasn’t just any park—it was destined to become a place where San Diegans could explore, relax, and celebrate life in one of California’s most picturesque settings.

View of the varied Industries Building under construction for the 1915 Expo building in Balboa Park in about 1914. The building was later known as the Food & Beverages Building at the 1935 Expo and Casa del Prado. The view is looking northeast at two sides of the building. (Photo courtesy of the San Diego History Center)

Samuel B. Parsons Jr (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia/public domain)

City planners were thinking ahead. With the Panama-California Exposition on the horizon in 1915, they wanted a park that would serve locals and impress visitors from across the country. Parsons’ thoughtful design would create the foundation for a park that blends natural beauty with playful elegance—a space that could host festivals, concerts, and countless memorable moments.

El Prado in 1916 was the main axis and street of the Panama-California Exposition, Balboa Park, San Diego, California. On the right, the Foreign and Domestic Building faces El Prado. The principal axis of the Exposition grounds picks up and carries the center line of Laurel Street and carries it eastward to the edge of the deep canyon running southward through the middle of Balboa Park. This avenue has the character of a fine, principal street of some display-loving Spanish city. (Photo courtesy of Carleton Monroe Winslow via Wikimedia Commons/public domain)

Today, Balboa Park remains the city’s “cultural heart,” brimming with gardens, museums, theaters, and events that bring the community together. That spark of imagination, first set in motion on October 23, 1902, reminds us how vision and creativity can shape a city for generations.

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