Guide to the Henri Jacot Balboa Park Protective Association Records MS 200

Finding aid prepared by Jennifer Ho
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
San Diego History Center Document Collection
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA, 92101
619-232-6203
August 3, 2011


Title: Henri Jacot Balboa Park Protective Association Records
Identifier/Call Number: MS 200
Contributing Institution: San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 0.25 Linear feet (1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1870, 1932-1983
Abstract: The collection contains items from the Balboa Park Protective Association, documenting their efforts for the preservation of San Diego’s Balboa Park, including project reports, public outreach and meetings.
creator: Jacot, Henri

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

Preferred Citation

Henri Jacot Balboa Park Protective Association Records, MS 200, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Jennifer Ho on August 3, 2011.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.

Arrangement

Items in collection are arranged by subject.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of documents related to a variety of projects against which Balboa Park Protective Association rallied. Specific projects mentioned in the collection include: Bartholomew Plan; Maple Canyon Road; Naval Hospital Expansion; Fine Arts Gallery; Timken Museum of Art; Ron Pekarek Plan; and Florida Canyon. The collection's materials include correspondence, outreach mailings, newsletters, speeches, and newspaper clippings. There is also information on club membership, local elections, and reports on the various projects. Highlights include an election flyer, informative press releases, and letters to and from various public offices, including the mayor and the San Diego Grand Jury.

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Balboa Park Protective Association was formed in 1947, and sought to preserve the prevailing architecture in Balboa Park while preventing further incursion of peripheral roads, encroachment by other buildings and organizations, and the increased sprawl of parking lots. The Association worked to subvert the Bartholomew Plan, adopted by the City of San Diego in 1960, that called for further development of the park. Henri Jacot was a local architect and a member of the Balboa Park Protective Association. He and his associates lobbied politicians, organized concerned citizens and placed petitions on the ballot in an effort to enact the desired preservation. The Association succeeded in preventing the incursion of roads called for in the Bartholomew Plan, but failed in thwarting further development of the park. Other projects battled by the Association included the relocation of the U.S. Naval Hospital onto Park grounds, and the construction of the Timken Museum building. After the Association was ended in 1967, its work and efforts were continued by the Committee of 100.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Henri Jacot.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Abbey, Florence B.
Arboretum of Los Angeles County.
Balboa Park Protective Association.
Citizens Coordinate for Century 3.
Committee of 100 (San Diego, Calif.).
Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego.
Harland Bartholomew & Associates.
Jacot, Henri
Martin, Philip P.
Naval Medical Center San Diego.
Putnam Foundation.
San Diego Grand Jury.
San Diego Museum of Art.
Save Balboa Park Committee.
Timken Museum of Art.
Architecture -- Conservation and restoration
Architecture -- Societies, etc.
Balboa Park (San Diego, Calif.)
Bartholomew plan
Florida Canyon
History -- Societies, etc.
Maple Canyon
Nature -- Conservation and restoration
Public architecture
Ron Pekarek plan
San Diego (Calif.)
Urban parks

Box-folder 1:1

Administrative documents, 1961–1963 and undated

Includes:

Member listings with contact information
Aims and Objectives document, undated
Box-folder 1:2

Reports on Balboa Park development, 1964–1983 and undated

Includes:

Maple Canyon Road Controversy report, 1964
“Group I” project plans listing, 1983
Box-folder 1:3

Correspondence, 1961–1976 and undated

Includes:

Correspondence between BPPA members and city officials
Letter to BPPA President from San Diego County Grand Jury, 1963
Box-folder 1:4

Outreach ephemera, 1961–1979 and undated

Includes:

Related newsletters and bulletins
Election poster; Postcards regarding Prop Q
Box-folder 1:5

Press releases and notice of public hearing, 1963–1977 and undated

Box-folder 1:6

Meetings and public hearings, 1958–1963 and undated

Includes:

Old Globe Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1963
Speeches given by BPPA
Box-folder 1:7

Balboa Park-related news clippings, 1932–1983 and undated

Includes:

Letter to the Editor of San Diego Union from Kate Sessions, 1932
Box-folder 1:8

City government elections and ballots, 1870, 1961 and undated

Includes:

Petition for 1961 ballot, with instructions
City charter amendment pamphlet, 1961
Box-folder 1:9

Miscellanea, 1962–1977 and undated

Includes:

Committee of 100 informational booklet (1975) and membership card (1977).
Scraps of paper and note cards with names and contact information, laws passed in San Diego, arguments and facts in favor of Balboa Park conservation.
Box-folder 1:10

Miscellanea, 1961-1963 and undated

Includes:

Newspaper clippings
American Institute of Architects newsletter, 1963
Issue of Contemporary Steel Design, 1963