Presidio Park is a city historic park in
San Diego, California. It is the site where the
San Diego Presidio
El Presidio Real de San Diego (Royal Presidio of San Diego) is a historic fort in San Diego, California. It was established on May 14, 1769, by Gaspar de Portolá, leader of the first European land exploration of Alta California—at that tim ...
and the
San Diego Mission, the first European settlements in what is now the
Western United States, were founded in 1769.
In 1773 the mission moved a few miles upriver while the fort remained on Presidio Hill. The presidio had been established to protect against Indian attacks or foreign invasions. As the need for such protection disappeared, people preferred to live in
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
at the foot of the hill, and the fort was gradually abandoned. It was in ruins by 1835.
In 1907
George Marston, a wealthy department store owner and civic leader, bought Presidio Hill with the aim of preserving the historic site. Unable to attract city funding, Marston built a private park (planned by architect John Nolan) including the Serra Museum (designed by architect
William Templeton Johnson) in 1925. Marston donated the park to the city in 1929.
[
The park encompasses about and has views of the city, the San Diego River valley, and the Pacific Ocean. The grounds are open for picnics and play. The facilities can be used for weddings and other special events.
The spot in the park where ]Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size ...
planted a palm tree when he first arrived in 1769 was declared a California Historical Landmark.
Junípero Serra Museum
The Junípero Serra Museum is operated by the San Diego Historical Society and features displays about the city's founding. Built in 1925, the Serra Museum, with its Mission architecture, is sometimes erroneously called the Presidio.
The Junípero Serra Museum exhibits archeological finds, historic objects, and reference materials related to Spanish colonization and the early history of California and provides educational programs about the Spanish, Mexican and indigenous heritage of the San Diego region.
The Serra Museum was the original home of the San Diego Historical Society, founded in 1929 by philanthropist George Marston. The organization, renamed the San Diego History Center, relocated to Balboa Park in 1982.
See also
* List of parks in San Diego
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official site
Archived original official siteJunípero Serra Museum, in Presidio Park
- San Diego History Center
Presidio Park map
Municipal parks in California
Urban public parks
Parks in San Diego
History of San Diego
Landmarks in San Diego
Junípero Serra