Biographical / Historical Notes
Scope and Content
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Processing Information
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Comments
Arrangement
Title: Panama-California Exposition Administrative Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS 263
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.25 Linear feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1909-1919
Abstract: This collection contains materials related to the planning and execution of the Panama-California Exposition held in San Diego
in 1915-1916.
creator:
Panama-California Exposition (1915 : San Diego, Calif.).
creator:
Panama-California International Exposition (1916 : San Diego, Calif.).
creator:
San Diego Museum of Man.
Biographical / Historical Notes
The Panama–California Exposition was a world's fair held in San Diego from March 1915 through December 1916 to commemorate
the completion of the Panama Canal in South America. The Exposition was meant to promote San Diego as the first American port
of call north of the Canal. The fair drew a large amount of attention and tourism to San Diego, helping re-establish the city’s
economy that had remained weak after the Wall Street Panic of 1907. The idea was originally conceived by G. Aubrey Davidson,
the founder of the Southern Trust and Commerce Bank, who was also the president of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. Davidson
and the San Diego Chamber of Commerce chose real-estate developer David Collier to help guide the planning of the Exposition
as the director-general of the Exposition’s Executive Committee. Collier was responsible for dictating both the selection
of Balboa Park as the Exposition site and the combination of the Pueblo Revival and Mission Revival architectural styles that
were used for the Exposition buildings.
The buildings, originally meant to be temporary, were designed and constructed by Bertram Goodhue, Frank Allen, and Carleton
Winslow. Construction began in 1911 and lasted for 3 years. Exposition exhibitions showcased San Diego’s culture, history,
port, and economy. The Exposition hosted several anthropological exhibits leant to them by the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, D.C., as well as cultural exhibitions hosted by other states and countries. The Exposition was so successful that
it was prolonged through 1916.
Scope and Content
The collection contains administrative documents, including by-laws, meeting minutes, and correspondence. The bulk of the
collection is comprised of three volumes of meeting minutes from the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the
Exposition, responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Exposition’s planning and execution. The first volume of meeting
minutes begins in 1909 and is related to the planning of the Exposition, while the second volume is primarily related to its
execution. The third volume covers the last few months of the Exposition through the final reconciliation of accounts in 1919.
Additional documents include minutes and correspondence of other Exposition committees, such as the Women’s Board, Subscription
Campaign Committee, and Committee for the Preservation of Fair Buildings. An Exposition guest book, copies of the Exposition’s
daily earnings and expenses, as well as shareholder’s stock certificates are also present.
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
Panama-California Exposition Administrative Collection, MS 263, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Lauren Rasmussen on May 30, 2012.
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number 950217.
Comments
Original covers for three volumes of Executive Committee meeting minutes (Box 1, folders 2-4) and one Subscription Campaign
Committee ledger (Box 2, folder 2) have been separated and moved to Box 3.
Arrangement
Collection materials are arranged by subject. Original covers have been separated and are located in Box 3.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Allen, Frank Phillips, Jr.
Collier, David Charles
Davis, H. O.
Gill, Irving, 1870-1936
Goodhue, Bertram Grosvenor, 1869-1924
Grant, Ulysses S., 1852-1929
Hewett, Edgar L. (Edgar Lee), 1865-1946
Hogaboom, Winfield
Marston, George White, 1850-1946
McLure, Lewis Steenrod
Panama-California Exposition (1915 : San Diego, Calif.).
Panama-California International Exposition (1916 : San Diego, Calif.).
San Diego Chamber of Commerce.
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
Sefton, Joseph W., 1882-1966
Spreckels, John Diedrich, b. 1853
United States. Marine Corps.
Winslow, Carleton Monroe, 1876-1946
Balboa Park (San Diego, Calif.)
Committees
Exhibition buildings
Panama Canal (Panama)
San Diego (Calif.)
San Francisco (Calif.)
Tourism