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A park, known as "City Park," had existed on this 1,400-acre parcel since 1868. In the early 1900s, landscape designer, Samuel Parsons, created a master plan and a 1905 tax levy funded improvements to the land, including the addition of more plants, a watering system, and a road system. By 1910, City Park was renamed Balboa Park in a city-wide contest, and public attention had become focused on the place. Two large-scale expositions were held in Balboa Park, the first in 1915-1916, the Panama-California International Exposition, and, the second, in 1935-1936, the California Pacific International Exposition.

In 1911, the well-known, Boston landscape architect, John Charles Olmsted, was involved in the planning process of the Panama-California Exposition. Due to disagreements over siting, he resigned from the job on 09/02/1911. For the Panama-California International Exposition, San Diego, CA, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue created one of the most important building campaigns for popularizing the Spanish Colonial Revival Style in California and elsewhere; the 1915-1916 exposition proved a financial and cultural success, drawing attention to the city from across the nation. Approximately 3.5 million visitors made the long trip to California's southwest.

City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department began the process of renovating buildings created for the two expositions in the park, in 1946. The city park's department also underwrote two new masterplans of the park, one in 1960 and 1989.

PCAD id: 2090