by Paul R. Spitzzeri
In advance of next Sunday’s program, part of our America250 commemoration, at the Homestead regarding how Los Angeles marked the U.S. Centennial in 1876 and the Sesquicentennial in 1926, we’ve been posting about these festivities, having just finished a seven-part one about the former. Now, we turn our attention to the latter, including a look at the national celebration in Philadelphia and the local “Pageant of Liberty,” with a prior post here sharing content from a souvenir pamphlet in the Museum’s collection.
The centennial exposition at Philadelphia was covered to an extent in our recent post and the event, held from 10 May to 10 November 1876, the first official world’s fair in America, drew some 10 million visitors (consider that the population of the United States was about 40 million, though allowances would be made to foreign and repeat visitation, if not the possibility of inflated attendance figures). Displays from other countries, a women’s pavilion, a California exhibit and others were of note and it bears noting that the growing industrial economy of the United States, despite a persistent economic downturn at the time, was prominently featured.
A decade before the sesquicentennial, John Wanamaker, a prominent Philadelphia department store owner, proposed an exposition for 1926 that, commented the city’s Ledger of 13 October 1916, was anticipated to “eclipse all the world’s industrial fairs that have been held since the Centennial Exposition here in 1876.” In his call, Wanamaker pronounced,
The Centennial Exposition was one of the greatest things this country ever did. It brought visitors from all over the world and proved to be an inspiration to every nation and every people. We have here just such a group of men as planned the Centennial to make the 1926 exposition the greatest the world has ever seen. What Philadelphia did forty years ago can be repeated if all co-operate.
The merchant added that the current First World War would be over and Europe rebuilt from the ravages and ruins of the conflict and “meanwhile we can lay plans for the exhibition with the goal in view of making it the greatest ever had.” Leaping forward to early 1925, after the plan was considered dead, but then revived by current Mayor W. Freeland Kendrick, reported the Los Angeles Record of 4 February, David C. Collier of San Diego was hired by the association overseeing the Philadelphia event.
If it is wondered why a southern California resident was taking charge of the planning for the event held on the other side of the continent, it is because Collier (1871-1934), a real estate developer of many San Diego neighborhoods, was the head of the very successful Panama-California Exposition (also giving a half-million dollars towards it) of 1915-1916 in that city, while he also worked on other similar events. The paper added that the sesquicentennial expo was to run from Flag Day (14 June) to 27 September, the anniversary of George Washington’s presidential farewell address.
The Los Angeles Times of 25 March, under the title of “EXPOSITION WILL BE OPPORTUNITY,” cited Collier as remarking that what was officially denoted as the Sesquicentennial International Exposition “will present Californians the greatest chance they ever had to tell the world of their State.” The planning head was in the Angel City and told the paper,
The sesquicentennial promises to be the biggest exposition ever conducted in the history of the world. Aside from its purpose to mark a milestone in the country’s history, its object is to present an exhibition showing the progress made not only in America, but all over the world during the last 150 years.
By this date, it was decided to move up the opening to the beginning of June and conclude it on the 1st of December while it was added that, once President Calvin Coolidge was inaugurated in March 1925 for his full term, a federal commission was created to handle general arrangements and included an advisory board of two members from each state. Notably, it was remarked that Coolidge invited all of the world’s nations to participate in the festivities, save one, Soviet Russia.
Collier continued that some 600 acres next to the Navy yard in the City of Brotherly Love was secured with easy access by air, ship and train and 2 million square feet of exhibit space in new buildings was to be constructed, with every state and each country having their one dedicated edifice. He added, “as a Californian, I hope this State will make a creditable showing. I should like to see erected a California building strictly typical of this State—perhaps in the Mission style.”
The expo chief commented that he was aware of a million-dollar publicity campaign for Los Angeles and he offered that “I can think of no better way to spend a part of this that using it for an extensive California exhibit” and he goaded locals by observing that Florida was already preparing for its part. As with San Diego and at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where he was involved in another substantial exposition, Collier noted that permanent buildings would be a major feature at Philadelphia, as well.
For its part, the Record of the same day interpreted Collier’s remarks to mean that “Southern California interests are not going to be ignored” at the expo and that he “believes that Southern California is the greatest place in the world.” In its edition of the 28th, the Pasadena Post editorialized about the sesquicentennial and opened with “when Philadelphia in 1876 staged the Centennial [Exposition], it treated the world to the greatest exposition that had ever been seen.”
The Crown City paper continued that “doubtless as a spectacle the showing of 1926 will be deeply interesting to those who viewed the wonderful display of 1876″—John H. Temple, who owned the Homestead from 1888 to 1899 and whose brother Walter was then its proprietor, visited the Philadelphia event after completing his education in his father’s native Massachusetts before heading home following the failure of the family’s Temple and Workman bank, though he died in April 1926, just before the sesquicentennial festivities were launched.
Exclaiming “what a contrast they will see!”, the Post pointed to immense technological progress in the prior half-century, in terms of the uses of electricity for heat, light and power, the telephone, aircraft, automobiles and so much more, while it noted that a star attraction in 1876 was the typewriter. Hearkening to what Collier stated about getting a jump on preparations compared to the Sunshine State, the piece concluded,
That California will be well represented on a proper scale at the 1926 event, hardly needs the saying. The richness and variety of its products gives it the opportunity to make direct appeal to millions. That Florida will be on hand there is no doubt. The people of this great state would regret to see Florida, far from its equal in natural endowment, demonstrate the possession of superior enterprise in the matter of advertising.
By mid-April, construction of the expo buildings was underway as organizers publicized expectations for some 40 million visitors, according to the Hollywood Citizen of the 15th. The 27 May number of the Times reprinted an Associated Press wire report that “the displays will be larger and more comprehensive than at any previous American exposition.” Exhibit director and coordinator of foreign displays, retired Navy Captain Asher C. Baker, who’d worked on the world’s fairs at Chicago in 1893 and St. Louis in 1904, as well as the Paris Exposition of 1900 and the Panama-Pacific at San Francisco in 1915, promoted the expansive nature of the Philadelphia displays.
The 6 May edition of the Whittier News reproduced a rendering of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which was actually established as part of the 1876 Centennial at Fairmount Park and a new edifice begun to the southeast, though, while the inclusion in the paper made it sound as if the expo and the art museum project were linked, the latter, with its east entry steps made famous in the Bicentennial-year film, Rocky, was not finished for two more years.
The Los Angeles Express of 22 June reported on an important exposition-related edifice, a $2 million municipal stadium, seating 100,000 with room for another 50,000 for standing, though only part of the seating area was constructed at the time, that was to host a myriad of athletic events during the exposition. This became John F. Kennedy Stadium and was long known for the annual Army-Navy football games and also hosted the 1985 Live Aid concerts, but, for the sesquicentennial, it was famed as the venue for the heavyweight boxing bout between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney (of which more later in this post.)
In Los Angeles, meanwhile, another sesquicentennial was in the early stages of planning, this to commemorate the founding of the Angel City in 1781 for events to be held in 1931. The Times of 28 June 1926 remarked that, through the auspices of the City Planning Association,
Los Angeles is preparing to tell the world the story of its life—its rise from Yang-na, village of a strange [?] aboriginal people, to La Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles, colorful city of a picturesque time and people; and then to cosmopolitan Los Angeles, international metropolis, where white-hot, ultramodern progress of the Occident and Orient mingle strangely with the lingering romance of colorful days hardly gone by.
For Independence Day, the Roman Catholic journal, The Tidings, published an editorial, in which it looked ahead and it remarked to readers,
Next year a century and a half will have passed since the patriots of the Revolution adopted the immortal Declaration, and it behooves us now, twelve months before our sesqui-centennial celebrations, to ask ourselves if we have preserved the legacy of the Fathers—a legacy through the inspiration of which this Republic merited and achieved its greatness.
While the piece offered an affirmative answer, it continued “we must admit the presence of certain disquieting tendencies” as it remarked upon what it considered “novel political theories” both in action and concept which “have received the approval of earnest and well-meaning social reformers.” These, the Catholic paper added, “have unfortunately overlooked the status of the family and the individual in the broad plan of Christian civilization,” so it was a concern that “we seem to have entered into an experimental period in our political life; but we sometimes forget that fundamentals must be preserved, lest we ourselves fall with our reforms.”
About two weeks later, the Times published some details of the Philadelphia exposition, thanks to John S. Baughman, a representative of Collier who noted that architects were still working on plans for structures on the 670-acre campus, though the administration building was underway. Six exhibition edifices on 45 acres were well along in planning, while the stadium was under construction.
A 130-acre portion for amusement called the “Glad Way” was in the works and the City of Philadelphia appropriated $2.5 million and more than double that was being expended for streets and other improvements. Separately, it was reported that a rendering of King Solomon’s Temple from Jerusalem, said to be a complete replica in every detail was going to be added, but this project fell through.
In fact, it turned out that many elements of the grandiose plan were to be scaled back with building appropriations alone to be cut 75% from $12 million to $3 million and this led, in late October, to Collier’s resignation. He was replaced by Baker, who worked as the chief until illness forced him to quit just before the opening (he died within a couple of weeks).
In September, the Times informed readers that,
Los Angeles will have an exhibit at Philadelphia’s Sesquicentennial Exposition next year, according to Charles P. Bayer, field secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, [who stated] “The interest shown in the Sesqui by our organization is largely due to the reputation Col. Collier enjoys in California because of the wonderful success he made of the San Diego Exposition . . .
As noted above, Collier would leave his post, but the Los Angeles Chamber, a powerful promotional force in our region, not only continued with plans for the Philadelphia expo exhibit, but worked in several states to put up displays at other sesquicentennial-related events for 1926.
In its issue of the 16th, the Express reported that a group called the 150 League announced a meeting for 9 October at Patriotic Hall (now the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall) to determine means by which “the Independence Sesquicentennial Southern California Celebration of Los Angeles be held here with fitting ceremonies.” A committee was to be created to work with fraternal societies and patriotic organizations to begin planning early in 1926 and the paper added that “plans for the sesquicentennial celebration were first discussed at a meeting held last week by the Southern California Veterans’ Association at the Pacific Palisades.”
At the end of September, newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. D.M. Tomlinson arrived in Los Angeles from Philadelphia to perform on the Times‘ radio station, KHJ, and were styled as sesquicentennial singers. As the stadium was progressing in the City of Brotherly Love, plans were being finalized for the American Athletic Union to hold championship contests there. Another effort to secure a series of college football games that would culminate in a national championship game, however, did not materialize.
President Coolidge, it was announced early in December, intended to take part in festivities in Philadelphia on 3-4 July and was to be “the central figure in the most impressive celebration of Independence Day ever conducted in the United States” as a speech was planned for broadcast and given in front of a quarter-million attendees. In mid-December, it was announced that women would server as guides and hosts “as part of the program of feminine participation” that was to involve tours by them of historic structures—readers of our post on the 1876 centennial exposition will recall some planning for a woman’s committee for that event.
There were, however, further losses of five more figures associated with expo planning, such as state participation and membership and including an honorary vice-president, with the Times of 4 December remarking that “dissatisfied with the manner in which the Sesqui-Centennial committee has conducted its affairs, several nationally prominent men who have allowed the use of their names in connection with its plan have resigned.”
The Whittier News of 15 December relayed news that,
Philadelphia has given up its grandiose plans for the “greatest exposition in history,” to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but still hopes to evolve out of the chaos, by next June, an exposition that will fittingly commemorate that event.
The account went on to observe that, if President Coolidge had not been encouraged to invite other nations to participate, “the whole plan might have been blown higher than a kite on any one of a half-dozen occasions in the last six months,” though what specifically was involved was not elucidated. What was broadcast as an event to cost up to a whopping $100 million was whittled down to a much more modest fifth of that total, though, with only about $8.25 million raised to date, it was questionable if even $15 million was attainable, though $5 million each were hoped for with rental of exhibition space and foreign contributions.
Work on the stadium and two main exhibition buildings, as well as other aspects, were being rushed, but, the article observed, and a rough parallel might be drawn to current 250th events,
Scandal after scandal dogged the path of the exposition. Graft charges were aired time and again, particularly in connection with the commission’s [sic] department, and some of these were proved. It was alleged that the whole affair was simply a real estate scheme to boom South Philadelphia, which is Representative [William S., who was one of the “Dukes of South Philadelphia, along with two brothers] Vare’s political stronghold . . .
The crisis came a month ago, when Colonel D.C. Collier, veteran exposition man, resigned as director-general, and the government at Washington began to inquire whether it was going to have to apologize and withdraw the invitation it had extended to foreign countries.
The piece concluded with the remark that, while Baker stepped in to replace Collier, Mayor Kendrick was “really running the show” and lobbied Administration officials, such as Secretary of Commerce, and the next president, Herbert Hoover, and Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg to continue federal support.
As 1925 came to a conclusion, Mayor Kendrick’s wife was tapped to tap the Liberty Bell with a rubber-tipped gold hammer and counting off the numbers 1-9-2-6, this being broadcast by radio, just as the old year was ringing out and the new one in. Notably, the bell was last rung in 1846 and a replica was made for the centennial, when it was determined that ringing the original was out of the question. Tapping the original, which was often sent to expositions throughout the country, though with increasing trepidation, was done for the Panama-Pacific Exposition at San Francisco in early 1915.
With this, we’ll halt here and return with part two, taking us to the sesquicentennial year, so be sure to check back with us then. To reserve a spot for next Sunday’s presentation on the 1876 and 1926 commemorations, head to our website page.