THESE WONDERFUL TILE MURALS originally appeared on the concave entry facade of the California State Building in Balboa Park's Palisades for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. They were designed to look like tile but were actually painted on fiberboard. Almost 100 years later, the historic faux tile designs were recreated in actual ceramic tile.
 The four recreated panels celebrate the state’s riches with murals representing commerce, scenic beauty, agriculture, and industry. Measuring 8' x 18' each, the 1935 designs came to life with a total of 576 tiles and were dedicated in 2021.
Hollywood set designer Juan Larrínaga created the original fiberboard murals, which were scrapped in the late 1940s. While the building's original drawings exist, the murals' artistic details are missing, and the only surviving documentation were some black-and-white images, which RTK Studios in Ojai used to recreate the scenes in tile.
The Committee of One Hundred, a nonprofit group devoted to protecting and restoring the Spanish Revival buildings and features of the park, raised $715,000 for the restoration project. Along with San Diego architect Robert Thiele, they took the lead in developing general conceptual plans and oversaw every detail of the project for over six years.
The San Diego Automotive Museum, housed in this building since 1988, is dedicated to narrating the story of the social and technological evolution of motorized vehicles. Through its diverse collections, engaging exhibitions, and enlightening educational programs, the museum is a fitting tribute to this historic site.
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