288 DAYSSan Francisco · 1915
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Foreign pavilion · States & Nations

Pavilion of Honduras

The first foreign pavilion begun and finished, a two-story classical house behind three arches, standing alone for months as proof the world was coming.

Work on the Honduras pavilion began August 20, 1913, before any other foreign building. For a long time after it was finished it stood alone, the only visible sign of the Exposition's foreign relations. Designed by Philip Schierz, it was a two-story classical building with some Renaissance detail. Its main feature was a deep portico behind three arches, reached by a broad stairway. The Official Guide calls it 'a low structure of exceptional beauty.'

The pavilion was mainly for hospitality, but the country's resources were shown too: coffee, henequen, medicinal barks, more than 300 hardwoods, gold and silver ores, opals and jade, pottery, grass hats, and a flag embroidered in gold thread by schoolgirls.

For long after its completion it had stood alone, the only visual and public evidence of the growth of the Exposition's foreign relations.

Frank Morton Todd, The Story of the Exposition, vol. III (1921), p. 233

At a glance

  • Construction began August 20, 1913, the first foreign pavilion to go up.
  • Dedicated March 20, 1915; site dedicated July 14, 1913.
  • Honduras Day was celebrated December 1, 1915.

Afterward

Not recorded; presumably auctioned and wrecked. Site is Presidio land near the Lombard Street (Presidio) gate.

Sources