Description

Looking east along the Avenue of Palaces (El Prado street), showing the Plaza de Panama during the California Pacific Exposition of 1935, held in San Diego's Balboa Park. The Cafe of the World on the northeast corner of the Plaza (upper right) existed in Balboa Park from 1913 to 1962, was formerly the Home Economy Building of the Panama-California International Exposition of 1915 and was also known as the Pan-Pacific Building and the American Legion Building. The House of Hospitality was also built for the 1915 Exposition, as the Foreign Arts Building or Foreign Liberal Arts Building. It was demolished and rebuilt in 1997, and in 2020 is used for the Balboa Park Visitors Center, a police storefront, offices of cultural and educational organizations, a restaurant--The Prado at Balboa Park--and the Balboa Park Visitors Center Gift Shop. The Palace of Photography is on the lower left, originally the Science and Education Building. It became the Medical Arts Building for the 1936 Exposition, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Building in 1939 (Building No. 4), before it was demolished in the 1960s.