San Diego Museum of Man - About the Museum

	Museum Buildings

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About the Museum — Buildings

A vital part of the Museum's legacy is its setting in historic Balboa Park. It occupies the California Quadrangle, an architectural complex designed for the 1915 Exposition by the famous American architect Bertram G. Goodhue to celebrate San Diego's Hispanic heritage. The California Building — the symbol of San Diego — was designed in the style of a Spanish-Colonial church. With its polychrome tile dome and ornate tower, it was a magnificent entry to the Exposition. Opposite the California Building a mission style building was constructed. It was connected to the main building by two arcaded passageways with massive, arched gates to enclose the Plaza de California.

During the 1980s, the Museum invested $3 million in capital renovation projects. The most ambitious undertaking was the rehabilitation of the historic Balboa Park Administration Building. Designed by the modernist architect Irving Gill, this was the first building in Balboa Park, completed in 1911 and serving as the planning headquarters for the Panama-California Exposition. Completion of the Administration Building restoration in mid-1990 opened up new gallery space in the Quadrangle buildings, thus permitting the Museum to put more of its priceless collections on display for the public. To date, nearly $1 million has been spent on exhibit expansion and rehabilitation. In early 1996, the Museum met its campaign goal for the Children's Discovery Center, the most recent phase of the Exhibits Master Plan (Project Showcase).