The Balboa Park Conservancy formed in 2011 as the city’s public-private partner for the management and improvement of the park for all visitors.
Soon after its formation, in 2014, the Conservancy merged with the long-standing service organization Balboa Park Central. Tracing its origins all the way back to 1923, Balboa Park Central (previously the House of Hospitality Association) promoted cultural and recreational use of the park through the Balboa Park Visitors Center and Balboa Park Marketing. These programs provided a valuable service to the City of San Diego, the park institutions, the San Diego community, and visitors from around the world.
During its developmental stage, the Balboa Park Conservancy worked to identify and implement projects to address sustainability and accessibility, gained valuable input from park stakeholders during public forums, co-hosted Balboa Park December Nights with the city, and laid the groundwork for its first signature project in the park: the restoration of the Balboa Park Botanical Building and Gardens. In the ensuing years, the Conservancy conducted a complete tree inventory of the park, worked with the city to plant over 600 new trees, organized and hosted dozens of popular free public cultural events, and launched multiple volunteer programs to support the park’s urban forest and gardens and improve the visitor experience.
Forever Balboa Park continues to build on the legacy and foundation of its predecessor organizations to help ensure Balboa Park remains the world-class destination beloved by generations of San Diego County residents and visitors from throughout the U.S. and every corner of the globe.