San Diego Museum of Man
Coordinates: 32°43′53″N 117°09′06″W / 32.7314°N 117.1517°W
| San Diego Museum of Man | |
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| Established | 1915 |
| Location | 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park San Diego, California, USA |
| Type | anthropological museum |
| Director | Micah D. Parzen, CEO |
| Website | www.museumofman.org |
The San Diego Museum of Man is a museum of anthropology located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California and housed in several historic landmark buildings.
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[edit] Exhibits
The museum's collections and permanent exhibits focus on the pre-Columbian history of the western Americas, with materials drawn from Native American cultures of the Southern California region, Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Maya, and the Andean civilizations such as the Moche. The museum also holds a collection of Ancient Egyptian antiquities, and several others from around the world. Total holdings number over 72,000 artifacts across all collections, together with some 37,000 historical photographs, mainly of Native Americans.[1] The museum also includes a hands-on Children's Discovery Center for younger visitors.
[edit] History
The museum traces its origins to the Panama-California Exposition, which opened in 1915 on the occasion of the inauguration of the Panama Canal. The central exhibit of the exposition, "The Story of Man through the Ages", was assembled under the direction of noted archaeologist Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett of the School of American Archaeology (later renamed the School of American Research, and since 2007 the School for Advanced Research[2]). Hewett organized expeditions to gather pre-Columbian pottery from the American Southwest and to Guatemala for objects and reproductions of Maya civilization monuments. Numerous other materials were gathered from expeditions sent by anthropologist Aleš Hrdlička of the Smithsonian Institution, which gathered casts and specimens from Africa, Siberia, Alaska and Southeast Asia. Osteological remains and trepanated crania from Peruvian sites were also obtained.[1]
As the Exposition drew to a close, a group of citizens led by George Marston formed the San Diego Museum Association to retain the collection and convert it into a permanent museum, with Dr. Hewett as the first director. The name was changed to "Museum of Man" in 1942 to emphasize the museum's concentration on anthropology. "San Diego" was added to the name in 1978.[2]
The museum is still housed in the original buildings from the 1915 Exposition. It includes the California Quadrangle, which was designed for the Exposition by American architect Bertram G. Goodhue, and the California Tower, one of the most prominent landmarks in San Diego. The Quadrangle and Tower are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3] Since 1990 the museum has also had exhibits in the original Balboa Park Administration Building, built in 1911 and designed by architect Irving Gill.[4]
[edit] In popular culture
The California Building and its tower were used by Orson Welles as the principal features of the fictitious Xanadu estate in the classic film Citizen Kane.[5]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b "About the Museum — History", San Diego Museum of Man (n.d.).
- ^ a b San Diego Museum of Man - History
- ^ San Diego Union, January 15, 1977, quoted by the San Diego Historical Society
- ^ Museum of Man website - buildings
- ^ Fodors
[edit] References
- San Diego Museum of Man (n.d.). "About the Museum". Museum website. San Diego Museum of Man. Archived from the original on 2008-03-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20080328014702/http://www.museumofman.org/html/about.html. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: San Diego Museum of Man |
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- Balboa Park (San Diego)
- Museums in San Diego, California
- Art museums in California
- Anthropology museums in California
- Native American museums in California
- Mesoamerican art museums in the United States
- Pre-Columbian art museums in the United States
- Museums established in 1915
- Landmarks in San Diego, California
- Visitor attractions in San Diego, California
- Bertram Goodhue buildings
- Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in California
