Was the World's Fair held in San Francisco in 1918?

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Was the World's Fair held in San Francisco in 1918?

-- Kay Doane (l361968@aol.com), December 11, 1997

Answers

Nope. Not in 1918. You're probably thinking of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. That fair was located along the bayshore in what is today's Marina District, stretching from Van Ness Avenue to near Fort Point.

-- anon (anon@post.com), December 26, 1997.

There was some kind of fair besides the Panama Exposition - I think in the 30's. They filled in what is now Treasure Island for it, but can't remember details.

-- Necessary? (nine@ptialaska.net), January 06, 1999.

I have an original copy of the, 'official souvenir view book of the panama-pacific international exposition at san francisco 1915' Is this worth much in terms of $$$$?.

-- Samuel Michael Smith (sam721@jps.net), March 27, 1999.

Three World's Fairs have been held in San Francisco. The first, the California Midwinter International Exposition, was from January 27- July 4, 1894, and was conceived by Michael H. de Young, after visiting Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893. It was located in Golden Gate Park, in the central area where the de Young Museum and the Academy of Sciences are housed. Many artifacts can be found dating from that time, including the musical concourse and various statues, such as the big cats at the Eighth Avenue and Fulton entrance.

The second fair, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, was held from February 20-December 4, 1915. It was a celebration of the "Phoenix" or the City rising from the ashes of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, as well as to commemorate the completion of the Panama Canal. This fair was held in a reclaimed area now known as the Marina District. Due to the fact that this area was created using landfill, there was much damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The most prominent feature of this fair which still stands is the Palace of Fine Arts, home of the Exploratorium.

The third fair (which was actually in two parts) was from February 1939-September 1940. The original fair was from February 18-October 6, 1939 and was a celebration of the opening of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. The fair was so successful, it was revived the next year from May 25-September 29, 1940. This fair was situated on Treasure Island, linked to Yerba Buena Island, which connects the eastern and western sections of the Bay Bridge.

-- Robert Summers (summerstime@yahoo.com), March 29, 1999.


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