Spreckels Organ Pavilion | |
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Organ concert at the pavilion, February 1915
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General information | |
Type | Pipe organ |
Location | Balboa Park, San Diego, California |
Address | 1549 El Prado #10 San Diego, CA 92101 |
Construction started | 1914 |
Completed | 1914 |
Opened | December 31, 1914 |
Cost | Organ: $33,500 ($800,995 today) Pavilion: $66,500 ($1,590,035 today) |
Height | 75 feet (23 m) |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Harrison Albright |
Main contractor | Wurster Construction Company |
Other information | |
Seating type | Metal benches |
Seating capacity | 2,500 |
Website | |
http://spreckelsorgan.org/ |
Coordinates: 32°43′46″N 117°09′02″W / 32.729391°N 117.150452°W
Spreckels Organ Pavilion houses the open-air Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The Spreckels Organ is the world's largest pipe organ in a fully outdoor venue. Constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, it is located at the corner of President's Way and Pan American Road East in the park.
John D. Spreckels, son of sugar magnate Claus Spreckels, was one of the wealthiest residents in San Diego County. He supported the Panama-California Exposition, and during its construction, he and his brother Adolph B. Spreckels gave the organ pavilion as a gift to "the people of San Diego" and "the people of all the world" on December 31, 1914. They donated $33,500 ($800,995 today) for the organ and $66,500 ($1,590,035 today) for the pavilion. After Spreckels' announcement, a local orchestra performed Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld which was then followed by a 250-person chorus that sang pieces from Joseph Haydn's oratorio, The Creation.