Spreckels Organ Pavilion, San Diego
The Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park is where San Diego trades beach waves for sound waves鈥攃ourtesy of the world鈥檚 largest outdoor pipe organ. Donated for the 1915 Panama鈥揅alifornia Exposition, it sits in a sweeping semicircle designed by Harrison Albright (the same guy who created the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego), dressed in the Italian Renaissance style. In 1935, the stage doubled in size, and a showy fountain鈥攎odeled after one in Mexico City鈥攋oined the cast.
The original 1915 instrument arrived with 3,400 pipes, four manuals, a pedal keyboard, and a 20-horsepower blower. Those gleaming gold pipes you see? Many of them are decoys, hiding the hardworking ranks behind them. After expansions, the organ now boasts 80 ranks and 5,017 pipes. It faces north to shield the pipes from the sun, which means the audience faces south (so bring your shades and your sense of awe when visiting).
Every Sunday at 2 p.m., the pavilion throws a free concert, thanks to the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, the Spreckels Organ Society, and generous donors. Summer turns the volume up: Mondays bring the Spreckels Summer International Organ Festival; Tuesdays through Thursdays, the 鈥淭wilight in the Park鈥� concert leans into popular favorites. December keeps the lights on with the park鈥檚 big holiday celebration, and the pavilion steps into a nativity scene courtesy of the San Diego Community Christmas Center.
In essence, it鈥檚 a century-old architectural shell housing a thunderous, meticulously tuned heart鈥攁nd it keeps San Diego on a very good note...
The original 1915 instrument arrived with 3,400 pipes, four manuals, a pedal keyboard, and a 20-horsepower blower. Those gleaming gold pipes you see? Many of them are decoys, hiding the hardworking ranks behind them. After expansions, the organ now boasts 80 ranks and 5,017 pipes. It faces north to shield the pipes from the sun, which means the audience faces south (so bring your shades and your sense of awe when visiting).
Every Sunday at 2 p.m., the pavilion throws a free concert, thanks to the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, the Spreckels Organ Society, and generous donors. Summer turns the volume up: Mondays bring the Spreckels Summer International Organ Festival; Tuesdays through Thursdays, the 鈥淭wilight in the Park鈥� concert leans into popular favorites. December keeps the lights on with the park鈥檚 big holiday celebration, and the pavilion steps into a nativity scene courtesy of the San Diego Community Christmas Center.
In essence, it鈥檚 a century-old architectural shell housing a thunderous, meticulously tuned heart鈥攁nd it keeps San Diego on a very good note...
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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Spreckels Organ Pavilion on Map
Sight Name: Spreckels Organ Pavilion
Sight Location: San Diego, USA (See walking tours in San Diego)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: San Diego, USA (See walking tours in San Diego)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in San Diego, California
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
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Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles
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
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
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