Laguna de Las Flores - San Diego, CA
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 32° 43.918 W 117° 08.944
11S E 486032 N 3621582
The Laguna de Las Flores is the reflecting pool between El Prado and the Botanical Building. It was built specifically for the 1915 Panama-California Exhibition held here in San Diego's Balboa Park. During WWI, the pond was used for navy training.
Waymark Code: WM16Z3T
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/03/2022
Views: 5
Photos taken on 29 October 2022 and 17 March 2019. The pond was built for the 1915 worlds fair. During the war, a few years later, the navy occupied Balboa Park and used it as a training center. This pond was then used to train soldiers to row and other military activities.
The plaque says, "Designed by Bertram Goodhue and built for the 1915 Panama- California Exposition the "Laguna de las Flores” is one of the most photographed sites in Balboa Park and the City of San Diego. It consists of a northern smaller pond "La Lagunita” and a larger southern pond "La Laguna". The two ponds are divided by a balustrade (walkway) and filled with lilies and lotuses. The colorful reflecting pond has served as an enticing entrance corridor to the striking Botanical Building since its inception with several notable and temporary exceptions.
WWI
The US Naval Training Station located in Balboa Park used the pond to teach rowing and swimming to new sailors.
WWII
The US Naval Hospital located in Balboa Park deepened the larger pond by two feet and used it as a physical therapy pool for wounded sailors for the duration of the war. The pond was opened to children for swimming and to adults for bait and fly casting.
m Major renovation to the Lily Pond took place in 1949, 1964, 1994 and 1999 which included the replacement of the wooden balus- trade with a concrete balustrade and the installation of a modern filtration system. The "Laguna de las Flores” will continue to inspire photographers, painters, visitors and staff with its tranquil beauty and magnificent floral displays for generations to come."
Type of Historic Site: Military Site
Address of Building, Object, or Site:
El Prado, San Diego, CA, USA
Website: [Web Link]
Admission Prices: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
One a Scale from 1-5, How Vital was the Site in WWI?: 
Posted Coordinates Location:
Historical Marker
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