Casa del Prado

Casa del Prado. . The first Balboa Park replacement of a 1915 Exposition building, this structure was completed in 1971 with public bond funding. The ornamentation decorating the original building was replicated for the new building with the aid of private donations. , Architects Richard George Wheder (1917-1990) and Samuel Wood Hamill (1903-1909) designed this space as a garden center for horticultural education and a home for youth arts groups. It covers 50,000 square feet and consists of two buildings separated by an open arcaded court. A patio, surrounded by a two-story arcade, is set within the south building. The theatre at the north is used for performances by youth musical and dance groups and the nation's oldest children's theatre program , A 1915 Panama-California Exposition building designed as a temporary structure stood on this site for more than 50 years. Casa del Prado is smaller than the building it replaced and does not include the decorative west apse of the original, designed by architect Carleton Winslow (1876-1946) with twin bell towers and elaborate ornamentation resembling a Spanish Colonial church. Called the Varied Industries and Food Products Building, its Exposition displays included production lines for cactus candy, wine, crackers, maple syrup, and Kellogg cereals. The building provided exhibit space for the San Diego County Fair (1919-1930) and was renamed the Food and Beverage Building for the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition. During World Wars I and II, the U.S. Navy variously used the building as a barracks, post office, hospital ward and Red Cross center. Before being closed in 1968, the original building housed city offices and served as temporary quarters for the San Diego Public Library (1952 to 1954) and the San Diego Air and Space Museum (1963-65).