The San Diego Museum of Art

The San Diego Museum of Art features an ornate, Spanish Plateresque facade carved from hollow terra cotta, modeled after the University of Salamanca in Spain. It opened in nineteen twenty-six to provide a permanent home for the fine arts during the Panama-California International Exposition. Archer Huntington, the museum's founder, insisted on this specific architectural style to celebrate California's Spanish heritage. Inside, the original collection began with paintings gifted by local collectors, meant to anchor the cultural life of the park.