[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 44 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 44

   Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the 1915 Panama-California 
     Exposition and the establishment of Balboa Park in San Diego, 
                              California.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2015

Mrs. Davis of California (for herself, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Peters, and Mr. 
   Vargas) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the 1915 Panama-California 
     Exposition and the establishment of Balboa Park in San Diego, 
                              California.

Whereas in 1868, San Diego civic leaders set aside 1,400 acres of land, which 
        became known as City Park;
Whereas in 1910, in preparation for the Panama-California Exposition hosted by 
        San Diego, that park was named ``Balboa Park'' in honor of Spanish-born 
        Vasco Nunnez de Balboa, the first European to see the Pacific Ocean 
        while exploring in present-day Panama;
Whereas the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition commemorated the opening of 
        the Panama Canal and was the first of two expositions that added to 
        Balboa Park's dramatic architecture;
Whereas in 1914, John D. and Adolph Spreckels donated the Spreckels Organ, one 
        of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs, to the City of San Diego for 
        the Panama-California Exposition, and this unique organ contains 4,530 
        pipes ranging in length from the size of a pencil to 32 feet and is 
        housed in an ornate vaulted structure with highly embellished gables;
Whereas the San Diego Zoo was established in Balboa Park at the close of the 
        Exposition in the fall of 1916, when Dr. Harry Wegeforth, a local 
        physician, conceived the idea of starting a zoo after hearing the roar 
        of a lion, one of the few wild animals displayed in cages at the 
        Exposition, and the Balboa Zoo is now home to more than 3,700 rare and 
        endangered animals representing over 660 species and subspecies and a 
        prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 plants--a world 
        famous conservation organization where visitors view exotic animals in 
        habitat environments;
Whereas in 1926, the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, now The San Diego Museum of 
        Art, opened to the public, and its renowned holdings include a fine 
        selection of European old masters, 19th and 20th century American art, 
        an encyclopedic Asian collection, and growing collections of 
        contemporary and Latin American art;
Whereas in 1933, the San Diego Natural History Museum opened within the park and 
        is housed in a building created with Works Project Administration 
        assistance;
Whereas in 1935-1936, Balboa Park hosted its second major exposition, the 
        California Pacific International Exposition, which helped boost the 
        local economy during the depression and added additional structures and 
        landscaping, many of which now host cultural institutions and events;
Whereas the internationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning Old Globe, one of the 
        most esteemed regional theaters in the country, was founded within 
        Balboa Park in 1935, and now boasts three unique venues: the historic 
        Old Globe Theatre (built for the 1935 exposition and expanded and 
        rebuilt in 1978), the intimate Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, and the 
        outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre;
Whereas Balboa Park helped support military efforts in World War I and World War 
        II, when most of the buildings on the Central Mesa became adjuncts to 
        the adjacent Naval hospital, the House of Hospitality became a nurses' 
        dormitory, the Lily Pond became a rehabilitation pool, and 400 hospital 
        beds were placed in the San Diego Fine Arts Gallery;
Whereas on December 25, 1946, the California Tower carillon was installed; whose 
        chimes are still heard across the park on every quarter hour;
Whereas in 1978, two devastating fires struck Balboa Park, resulting in the 
        destruction of the Electric Building, including the San Diego Aerospace 
        Museum collection, and the 1935 Old Globe Theatre, both of which were 
        rebuilt with private donations;
Whereas in the 1980s, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the Museum of 
        Photographic Arts, the San Diego Automotive Museum and the Veterans 
        Museum and Memorial Center all opened within Balboa Park;
Whereas in the 1990s, the beautiful Japanese Friendship Garden, the Mingei 
        International Museum, the San Diego Art Institute: Museum of the Living 
        Artist, the WorldBeat Center, and the Hall of Champions Sports Museum 
        opened;
Whereas Balboa Park has grown to become the one of the Nation's largest urban 
        cultural parks, encompassing more than 1,172 acres, including 14 formal 
        gardens, and the park is home to 15 major museums, nearly 100 arts, 
        education, recreational, social and sports organizations, renowned 
        performing arts venues, as well as the world famous San Diego Zoo;
Whereas Balboa Park celebrates history, art, music, science, and culture and has 
        been a city treasure for one century; and
Whereas the 2015 centennial anniversary of the Panama-California Exposition and 
        the establishment of Balboa Park is an achievement of historic 
        proportions for the City of San Diego, the State of California, and the 
        United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Panama-
California Exposition and the founding of Balboa Park in San Diego, 
California.
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