House of Hospitality, 1935; reconstructed 1997
Originally Foreign Arts Building, 1915
1549 El Prado, San Diego CA • Balboa Park
Richard Requa, architect
Davies & McDonald tile (D&M)

D&M ARTISANS EMPLOYED a silk-screened technique to craft their tiles, involving the creation of an outline on the tile’s surface and the application of glazes through silk-screening. After adding decorative elements, the tiles underwent tin-glazing, a process that coats them with a lead glaze/tin oxide mixture to enhance color vibrancy. During firing, the oxides fuse with the glaze, resulting in a polished surface of the finished tile.

The style and colors of tile used greatly compliment the Woman of Tehuantepec fountain in the courtyard and is one of San Diego’s masterpieces of public art. Donal Hord, a leading San Diego sculptor, created it for this site for the 1935 Exposition. From a 1,600-pound block of limestone, Hord carved a scene of native hospitality and life itself: a serene Aztec woman holding an olla in her lap. Water flows gently from the tipped vessel resting on her gathered skirt and into the handsomely tiled pool.

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