The Lily Pond and El Prado Arcade are seen under a cool summer night sky in San Diego, CA. The lily pond lies adjacent to the Botanical Building, one of the largest lath structures in the world. The pond, one of the most photographed landmarks in San Diego, was created for the Panama-California Exposition of 1915 in San Diego's Balboa Park. Brought about with the aim of highlighting San Diego as the first U.S. port of call for ships traveling north after passing westward through the newly opened Panama Canal, the exposition occurred at the same time as the larger Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Nonetheless, the fair was widely regarded as a success, with over two million visitors by the end of 1915 and just under 1.7 million attendees in its second year (due to it's success, the fair was extended from its original one year duration). <br /> <br /> As was customary of world's fair's of that era, the attractions and structures of the Panama-California exposition were constructed with cheap, temporary materials with the intention of being demolished once the fair had ended. However, Many notable visitors including Teddy Roosevelt advocated for the preservation of the immaculate structures. As a result, many of the fair's buildings and gardens were renovated or reconstructed with permanent building materials in order to ensure their enjoyment by future generations.
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