Description
The Panama Pacific International Exposition Records consist of the official records from the offices of the world's fair held
in San Francisco, California in 1915. The bulk of the records range in date from 1911, when San Francisco was officially declared
the site for the Exposition, to the dissolution of Exposition property in 1916. The records have been arranged into nine series,
documenting the major divisions of the Exposition: Executive and Administrative Files, the Office of the Comptroller, Division
of Works; Division of Exploitation, Division of Concessions and Admissions, Division of Exhibits, Foreign Office Files, Office
of the Historian, and Legal Division Office Files. The collection includes material relating to the organization, planning,
and administration of the Exposition by President Charles C. Moore and the Board of Directors; raising money and maintaining
accurate accounting for the Exposition; designing and building the fairgrounds; advertising the Exposition at home and abroad;
managing admissions and concessions; and arranging exhibits on a wide array of topics ranging from arts to industry.
Background
The Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) opened in San Francisco, California on February 20, 1915. Organized to
commemorate the completion of the Panama Canal and the 400th anniversary of Balboa's discovery of the Pacific Ocean, the Exposition
also came to commemorate the rebirth of San Francisco after the catastrophic earthquake of April 1906. Built, over the course
of three years, on filled in mudflats, the Exposition comprised 635 acres of what is now known as the Marina District of the
city. Over twenty foreign nations and forty-three states participated in the Exposition which had attracted 18,876,438 visitors
by closing day, December 4, 1915.
Extent
145 volumes (volumes 1-143, volumes 145-146), 28 boxes, 172 cartons, 19 oversize folders;
260 linear feet
3 digital objects (3 images)
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94270-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Availability
Collection is open for research.