California Building and Tower, San Diego

Rising like a fairytale out of Balboa Park鈥檚 skyline, the California Building and its elegant companion, the California Tower, are San Diego鈥檚 architectural showstoppers. Built for the 1915鈥�1916 Panama鈥揅alifornia Exposition, they weren鈥檛 just the grand entrance but the statement piece, designed by Bertram Goodhue to impress anyone who thought San Diego was merely a sleepy seaside town. In 1974, the duo officially made it onto the National Register of Historic Places (as if their good looks alone weren鈥檛 enough...).

The California Building, with its intricate fa莽ade and blue-and-gold tiled dome, now houses the Museum of Us, but its original flair remains fully intact 鈥� a glorious mash-up of styles, where Gothic drama meets Spanish Colonial charm with a dash of Baroque flamboyance. The dome鈥檚 design even borrowed a little inspiration from Mexico鈥檚 Church of Santa Prisca, because why settle for one nation鈥檚 beauty when you can have several?

Look closely at the exterior and you鈥檒l find a crowd of sculpted figures 鈥� saints, explorers, and royals 鈥� frozen mid-pose in plaster and clay. There, Franciscan missionary Jun铆pero Serra rubs shoulders with Spanish kings Philip III and Carlos III, explorer Sebasti谩n Vizca铆no meets his British counterpart George Vancouver, and Catholic priest Lu铆s Jayme, while the coats of arms of California and Mexico keep things politically balanced. It鈥檚 like a 16th-century Zoom call rendered in stone...

Then there鈥檚 the California Tower, standing a proud 198 feet (or 60 meters) high 鈥� the city鈥檚 undisputed celebrity. With its layered design that shifts from square to octagon to circle, the tower鈥檚 silhouette is as graceful as it is recognizable. Since reopening to the public in 2015, visitors have climbed its stairs for panoramic views that justify every gasp along the way. Inside, a Maas-Rowe carillon (first installed in 1946 and replaced in 1967) serenades the park with its Westminster chimes every fifteen minutes, and at noon, a live musician performs three songs 鈥� a daily soundtrack to San Diego鈥檚 sunshine. No wonder locals call it 鈥淪an Diego鈥檚 Icon鈥�: it鈥檚 the city鈥檚 most photogenic resident, and it never takes a bad angle...

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in San Diego. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: California Building and Tower
Sight Location: San Diego, USA (See walking tours in San Diego)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Balboa Park Walking Tour

Walking Tours in San Diego, California

Create Your Own Walk in San Diego

Creating your own self-guided walk in San Diego is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Balboa Park Walking Tour

Balboa Park, named after Spanish explorer Vasco N煤帽ez de Balboa, is one of the largest and most culturally significant urban parks in the United States. Established in 1868 as 鈥淐ity Park,鈥� this 1,400-acre area began as undeveloped public land before its transformation in the early 20th century into a center of art, culture, and recreation. Its evolution truly began with the... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles

Old Town Walking Tour

Old Town is the oldest settled area in San Diego which claims to be the first site visited by Europeans on the West Coast of modern United States.

The Native American culture in the area, however, goes back thousands of years. Historically, this land had been a home to the Kumeyaay people who settled on the banks of the San Diego river since around 1000 AD. The first European explorer to... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles

Embarcadero Marina Walking Tour

Adjacent to downtown San Diego and the picturesque San Diego Bay is a vibrant waterfront area. Embarcadero Marina, a testament to the region's colorful maritime heritage, houses several outstanding ship museums and is home to other notable sites. The abundance of shopping and dining options, complete with the pristine views of the city skyline, delight numerous locals and tourists and make... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles

Historic Gaslamp District Walking Tour

Downtown San Diego鈥檚 Gaslamp Quarter is vivid proof that history doesn鈥檛 have to sit quietly in a museum鈥攊t can dance, dine, and light up the night! Stretching across 16陆 lively blocks, this historic district is where Victorian architecture meets craft cocktails and neon signs. With over 90 preserved buildings, the Gaslamp is one of the largest collections of Victorian commercial structures... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip

Souvenir Shopping Guide: 14 Gifts That Say San Diego

San Diego is known for its beautiful, temperate climate, but you can鈥檛 take the weather home with you. If you want a piece of San Diego as a souvenir, it鈥檚 best to shop with the natives. Whether it is made locally or just made famous locally, following are 14 perfect gifts that capture the...

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