House of Hospitality

The House of Hospitality is a Spanish-Renaissance-style building in San Diego's Balboa Park. Originally known as the "Foreign Arts Building," it was designed by Carleton Winslow to be a temporary structure for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Twenty years later, officials renovated the property and renamed it to be used as the reception center for the city's 1935-36 California-Pacific International Exposition.

The House of Hospitality survived World War II by housing Navy sailors and nurses. The building fell into disrepair thereafter, but efforts to preserve the unique architecture of Balboa Park's old Expo buildings resulted in a complete restoration and the now National Historic Landmark regained its 1935 appearance in 1997. Today, it serves as the park's Visitors Center, where staff and volunteers assist over 500,000 annual visitors from all around the world.

The House of Hospitality is located at 1549 El Prado # 1, San Diego, California 92101-1699. Available inside are brochures, maps, and audio tours, along with information about museum exhibits, the gardens, special events, Park recreational activities, free Park guided tours, dining options, transportation, and much more. Although the Balboa Park grounds are accessible 24 hours a day, the House of Hospitality Visitors Center is open only from 9:30am to 4:30pm and museum hours vary by institution.