Bloomenshine, Helen

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Balboa Park Protective Association was formed in 1947, and sought to preserve the prevailing architecture in Balboa Park while preventing further incursion of peripheral roads, encroachment by other buildings and organizations, and the increased sprawl of parking lots. The Association worked to subvert various plans and projects that called for further development of the park and its grounds. Helen Bloomenshine was a co-founder of the Balboa Park Protective Association (along with Eleanor Edmiston). She and her associates lobbied politicians, organized concerned citizens and placed petitions on the ballot in an effort to enact the desired preservation, but the Association “achieved only slight success,” as Bloomenshine stated. They succeeded in preventing the incursion of roads called for in the controversial Bartholomew Plan, but failed in thwarting further development of the park, such as the construction of the Timken Museum building and the relocation of the U.S. Naval Hospital onto Park grounds. After the Association was ended in 1967, its work and efforts were continued by the Committee of 100.