I’m so proud to introduce this, our first newsletter of 2026. Taking a moment to reflect on our recent work like this reminds me that the Balboa Park Committee of 100 is full of talented, passionate people and we do great work. But most importantly, the organization continues to grow, both with new members and new areas of expertise, helping to fuel our mission in the park. While we continue our core mission of planning and building preservation and restoration projects, 2025

By   Ross Porter In a March 5, 2026, update to the city’s Balboa Park Committee (BPC) , mayoral representative Emily Piatanesi, outlined the latest changes to the paid-parking program in the Central Mesa and West Mesa. Verified San Diego city residents can now park free in Tiers 2 and 3 lots once they have registered the cars. A map of the tiers, parking lots and metered streets plus registration details are available at San Diego.gov/parking/balboapark . Families line up to

By Roger Showley After four years of careful planning, the Balboa Park Committee of 100’s second major restoration in the Palisades area — the $700,000 reconstruction of the Municipal Gym’s exterior artwork — is nearing completion by Memorial Day. Bellagio Precast staff stand back to admire their completion of the mold to be used in casting the bronzed bas-relief for the front of the Municipal Gym. Photo: Bellagio Precast The centerpiece is a 14-by-22-foot bas-relief bronze

By   Anna Griffin and Iryna Baliyan, Cook + Schmid The Cook + Schmid public relations firm, led by board member Jon Schmid, has developed a comprehensive social media plan for the Balboa Park Committee of 100 to increase public awareness of C100 and its work by growing followers and strengthening engagement across social media platforms. The plan ultimately supports C100’s mission to preserve and revitalize Balboa Park’s historic architecture and public spaces. C+S began init

By Roger Showle y San Diego High School’s Building 100 got an official ribbon cutting March 9 as the first building completed in the $74 million Phase 1 modernization of the campus, originally developed in 1882. After the confetti floated to the ground, students, families, district officials and civic leaders got a look at the inside of the thoroughly reconstructed Administration Building. Natural light filled the offices and artifacts sprinkled from the high school’s past dr

By  Mike Stepner A rendering by David McCullough and Rob Quigley envisions an enhanced treatment of Park and Russ boulevards. Following the city’s approval in 2021 for a new 99-year lease for San Diego High School in Balboa Park and the subsequent start to a multiyear rebuilding program, the Balboa Park Committee of 100 assembled a working group at the request of the City Council to explore ways to capitalize on these actions. The council received the Balboa Park-San Diego Hi

By Nancy Carol Carter Samuel Parsons Jr. (1844-1923) traced his roots to colonial New York and was a third-generation American horticulturist. He farmed for a time after graduating in 1862 from Sheffield, the Yale Scientific School, then entered an apprenticeship with celebrated British immigrant Calvert Vaux, an architect and landscape designer. The Art of Landscape Architecture, 2009 reprint, University of Massachusetts Press Vaux landscaped many New York landmarks, includi

By Roger Showley Paid parking in Balboa Park dominated Mayor Todd Gloria’s address at the Balboa Park Committee of 100’s annual meeting on Sept. 8, followed by a review of C100’s accomplishments in 2025 and what’s ahead. C100’s annual awards for park planning and preservation also were granted and board members confirmed. “More than anything else, I want to express my gratitude  for the Committee of 100,” Gloria began at the Comic-Con Museum. “The work that you do is bearing