Panama Pacific International Exposition 1915

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Illumination of the PPIE

Presentation by Laura Ackley on March 22, 2003

at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, California
Notes by Lew Baer

Excerpts from SFBAPCC April 2003 Newsletter

PPIE Day Panorama Postcard

Program Notes:  This month we will welcome members and visitors to our annual Panama Pacific International Exposition PPIEorama of postcards, memorabilia, stories and historical data related to that great fair of 1915 which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal and the rebirth of San Francisco. From the rubble and ashes of nine years before, the city had arisen to great beauty and glory and was beneficiary of the new shortcut between the Pacific shore and the ports of the East Coast and Europe. There was plenty to celebrate. Laura Ackley, our Guеst speaker, will tell us about the Lighting of the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), the subject of her recent Master’s thesis. Her talk includes a computer based display.

PPIE Night Panorama Postcard

Laura  thanked Dave Parry for inviting her to speak to the club and began by asking who collected Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE). A forest of hands went up. Who does so on eBay? A thicket of hands arose. Laura has written a still to be published book on the fair, and she is always looking for Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) technical and lighting items.

PPIE Diorama PDF file (631 KB)  Zoom with pdf magnify tool:

As she started her computer slide show she spoke of architectural history and pageant lighting, and told that the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) was the first time some lighting techniques were employed that are still in use today. The fair was originally proposed in 1904, but plans were halted in 1906 and restarted again six months after the earthquake and fire.

Panorama PDF file (371 KB)  Zoom with pdf magnify tool:

A postcard image of the opening day of the fair filled the screen, a sea of heads in front of the Fountain of Energy and the arched hedge of living ice plant. Another slide: the Scintillator, the fan of colored light beams that is seen on many nighttime fair views.

PPIE Map PDF file (659 KB)  Zoom with pdf magnify tool:

Larger PPIE Map PDF file (981 KB) with Race Track and The Zone

Next, the giant typewriter that typed out headlines in real time and told of the sinking of the Lusitania. A view of the intricate General Electric exhibit; the company had sent its best engineers to the fair. Walter D’Arcy Ryan, whose lighting we were learning about was a chief of GE’s technical division and bore the title of Illuminating Lighting Engineer. Most new inventions at that time were first seen by the public at world fairs.