Musical accompaniment: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills & Nash. A great song and also happens to be the name of one of Old Spirituals’ favorite readers!

 

From February 20 until December 4, 1915, San Francisco hosted the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. It was a world’s fair to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal. San Francisco wanted to show its remarkable recovery from the terrible 1906 earthquake and fire, and they certainly did.

The Exposition covered 636 acres and was an architectural wonder.  It was said a person could spend 24 hours a day there every day that the Exposition was open and still not see it all. 

 

On the ppie100.org site, which is dedicated to the Exposition, there is a wonderful quote from architectural historian Laura A. Ackley: “The overwhelming message of the PPIE, mounted a veritable instant after the tragedy of the 1906 earthquake and fire, is one of an optimistic, audacious San Francisco, not unlike the city of today. . . . San Francisco’s Jewel City was the realization of the common dream of many individuals, a goal achieved.”

 

I came across this beautiful autochrome image of the Palace of Horticulture today.

Living in the Bay Area, I knew the only remnant left standing today of the Exposition is the Palace of Fine Arts. I couldn’t imagine how or why the Palace of Horticulture had ever been torn down. Fortunately, I located this article by Gray Brechin on Found SF that provided the answer.  Briefly, Brechin says many people lobbied to preserve the architectural wonders of the Exposition, but “speculative forces proved far stronger than the dream, however, and the arches and towers were brought down in clouds of colored plaster.”

Can you imagine? I tend to want to preserve the past (maybe too much) but I can’t believe anyone would tear this beautiful building down. Even if I was offered a massive sum of money to do it, I would’ve been physically incapable of sending a wrecking ball through this lovely place.

Did you know World’s Fairs are still happening? That might be common knowledge but I didn’t know that. The latest World’s Fair opened in Osaka, Japan three days ago! Here’s the website if you’ll be in the area.