Balboa Park began in 1868 when San Diego's civic leaders dedicated 1,400 prime acres to create an urban oasis. Originally the land, crisscrossed with canyons and dominated by native scrub, was calledsimply "City Park." In later years, Balboa Park hosted two successful world expositions: the 1915–1916 Panama-California Exposition and the 1935–1936 California Pacific International Exposition. The unique evolution of the park included occupation by the U.S. Navy, a zoo, a Native American village, and even a nudist colony. Balboa Park also suffered periods of neglect and demolition before citizens groups united to save and restore the beloved Spanish Colonial Revival buildings.
As an architect, author David Marshall has been involved in the restoration and reconstruction of many of the old exposition buildings. He dug into his personal collection of over 5,000 postcards to create this illustrated history of Balboa Park. More than 200 historic images have been compiled for this book—most never before published. These glimpses of the past will help the reader appreciate the colorful history of one of the most enchanting urban parks in the United States.