The History Center is the steward of our heritage and the principal resource for San Diego history – collecting, preserving and displaying unparalleled collections of regional history. Since 2013, the History Center has been a Smithsonian Affiliate.
The History Center operates facilities in two National Historic Districts: the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park; the Research Archives also in Balboa Park; and the Junípero Serra Museum in Presidio Park.
The vast regionally and even nationally significant collections encompass 45 million documents – business, public and architectural records, maps, diaries and manuscripts; 2.5 million historic photographs, one of the most important collections in the western U.S.; 1,700 oral histories, the largest collection in California; 1,500 films, some rare and historic; 15,000 historic objects, including artifacts dating back to the Kumeyaay; 7,000 items of historic clothing, one of the finest collections in the U.S.; and a significant collection of San Diego artwork.
One of the oldest and largest historical organizations on the West Coast, the San Diego History Center is one of the only institutions dedicated to the heritage of a major American metropolitan region. The History Center was established in 1928 by noted philanthropist, businessman and civic leader George W. Marston, who built the Junípero Serra Museum to house the new institution on Presidio Hill, site of the founding of San Diego and California. Marston gifted the Serra Museum and the adjacent land to the City of San Diego in 1929. For over sixty years, the Serra was the site of the Historical Society and Research Archives. In 1982, the Historical Society moved its collections and museum to Balboa Park, maintaining the Serra as an auxiliary museum and educational center. In 2010, San Diego History Center was formally adopted as the institution’s name.
Credit: Overview from museum website