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A century after opening its doors, the Pink Lady remains a treasured gathering place where history, hospitality, and coastal glamour meet. MIA PARK With its intimate beauty, e Prado in Balboa Park stands in sharp contrast to the grand neoclassical museums of the East Coast. At the heart of that architectural reverie is e San Diego Museum of Art, whose origins date to the Panama-California International Exposition of 1915-1916, which transformed Balboa Park into a wonderland of Spanish Colonial architecture. But when the crowds left, the city needed an anchor for its new civic heart. By 1922, Appleton S. Bridges stepped forward with an offer to fund a permanent gallery, and architect William Templeton Johnson answered the call. Drawing inspiration from the University of Salamanca, Johnson created a 16th-century Spanish Plateresque masterpiece, its façade adorned with the likenesses of painters Velázquez, Murillo, and Zurbarán, alongside saints and scholars. 1 0 0 For 100 years, La Valencia Hotel has been synonymous with the timeless elegance of La Jolla. Affectionately known as the "Pink Lady," the iconic hotel has welcomed generations of travelers, Hollywood luminaries, and locals drawn to its Mediterranean charm, sweeping ocean views, and unmistakable sense of place. e landmark opened December 15, 1926, as Los Apartmentos de Sevilla, designed by acclaimed architect Reginald Johnson in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Renamed La Valencia Hotel in 1928, the property debuted its distinctive 11-story tower crowned by a gilded dome. Interestingly, its famous nickname originated not from its rosy exterior, but from a 1928 tile work by artist Ernest Batchelder depicting a Spanish woman in a pink Sevilla dress that graces its garden. La Valencia quickly became a favorite Hollywood hideaway, hosting Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Mary Pickford. During La Jolla Playhouse's early years, Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer frequented the property, while literary legends Raymond Chandler and eodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) were among the notable patrons of its beloved Whaling Bar. Today, the 115-room hotel continues to evolve while honoring its heritage. e Whaling Bar reopened in 2024, followed by the debut of the Spa at La Valencia in 2025. To commemorate its centennial, the hotel introduced a yearlong celebration featuring the jazz-filled 1926 Social Club, special dining and spa experiences, historic property tours, commemorative keepsakes, and immersive murder-mystery dinners. e festivities will culminate in a glamorous 1920s-inspired anniversary celebration on December 15, exactly 100 years after La Valencia Hotel opened in 1926. ranchandcoast.com Theodore Geisel installing a promotional Cat in the Hat cornice piece to The San Diego Museum of Art façade,1986 LA VALENCIA HISTORIC PHOTO: COURTESY PHOTO LA VALENCIA CURRENT DAY: PHOTO BY PABLO MASON THEODORE GEISEL SDMA: PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART ARCHIVES