FoundSF

Historical Essay

by William Issel and Robert Cherny

Panama Canal pavilion at the Panama Pacific International Exposition, 1915.

Photo: Shaping San Francisco

The Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) had stood at the center of Rolph's election campaign in 1911. The PPIE also stood at the center—sometimes literally, sometimes only figuratively—of many of the other civic accomplishments of the period before World War I. It reflected many prevailing patterns of political thought, notably a quest for civic unity, a reliance on expertise and planning, and a melding of private and governmental activities in the promotion of development.

The first steps toward the exposition came in 1904, and the company that oversaw the project filed articles of incorporation in 1906. In 1909 a mass meeting took place on the floor of the Merchants' Exchange. All San Franciscans were invited to hear inspirational oratory and endorse the selection of a nominating committee. Gavin McNab, one of the leaders of the city's Democrats, gave the principal address and sounded the tocsin of civic unity:

In the presence of this inspiring occasion, all differences among our people will pass away. In its place will rise the genius of municipal unity; a spirit capable of marvels. We shall be only San Franciscans—one for all and all for one, and all for San Francisco.

A second mass meeting in 1910, also in the Merchants' Exchange, brought together the results of extensive solicitation—and spontaneous enthusiasm to create an impressive demonstration of commitment to the project. Two thousand participated, and they pledged more than $4 million in an hour and fifty minutes.(6)

Postcards courtesy of Barbara Webster collection

Two more mass meetings later in 1910 and a door-to-door canvass of the business district brought the total funds to over $6 million and also produced a resolution—introduced by McNab—to secure a city bond issue of $5 million. A special session of the legislature, engineered by McNab, authorized the city to vote on a bond issue, and added a $5 million subscription by the state. Both required approval by the electorate: The state voted 77 percent in favor, and city voters gave the subsidy an incredible 95 percent margin. A massive lobbying blitz of Congress defeated an effort to designate New Orleans as the official site of an exposition celebrating the opening of the canal, and in early 1911 President Taft officially signed the resolution designating San Francisco as the site for the official celebration. Planning shifted into high gear, and the exposition opened in early 1915, the first major American exposition since 1876 to open without delays resulting from incomplete construction.(7)

The Exposition and the Quest for Civic Unity.