ALCAZAR GARDEN, located off El Prado, is one of the most historically significant and distinctive gardens in Balboa Park. This historic site was originally designed and built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and named the Montezuma Garden. In 1935, the garden was redesigned by Master Architect Richard Requa for the California Pacific International Exposition. The garden features ornate tile work designed to re-create the original Moorish mosaics in the gardens of the Real Alcázar, a palace in Seville, Spain. This scenic garden, featuring a shady pergola and boxwood hedges bordering thousands of annuals, delights millions of visitors every year, and is a favorite spot for leisurely strolls, wedding photography, and family photos. But the heavy use takes its toll. The last time the garden underwent substantial restoration work was in 1995.

The Balboa Park Conservancy is the City of San Diego's nonprofit private partner to help maintain and enhance many of Balboa Park's most treasured public landscapes and buildings. Under the direction of Jackie Higgins, the conservancy launched a collaborative capital improvement project to restore Alcazar Garden. In 2018, the Conservancy hired Estrada Land Planning to produce a detailed report on the garden's current conditions and to create a restoration plan. The 42-page document comprised 50 photographs of current conditions along with dozens of detailed diagrams, scaled drawings, and existing conditions plans that describe, illustrate, and position every element within the garden.

The restoration work began in Spring 2019 and included making the water fountains operational for the first time in years, trimming the massive historic ficus tree bordering the garden's south side, and replacing damaged fountain tiles. The archways and pergola were painted in their historic colors and pathway lighting was installed for night and day visits to the garden.

Finished in summer 2020, the Alcazar Garden project showcases a collective effort to restore and preserve San Diego's important historic, cultural, and public spaces. Alongside our winner, the City of San Diego, Friends of Balboa Park, and the Balboa Park Committee of One Hundred all contributed to this wonderful restoration.

SOHO is proud to present the Balboa Park Conservancy with the People In Preservation Cultural Landscape Restoration Award. We applaud you for an outstanding project and thank you for all that you do to protect and preserve San Diego history and culture.

(Left to right) Magen Shaw, Audrey Tamayo, Jackie Higgins, Jim Hughes. Photo by
Sandé Lollis