This area is an extension of Balboa Park. "The earliest recreational developments in the park were in the "Golden Hill Park" area off of 25th street. The National Register listed the rustic stone fountain designed by architect Henry Lord Gay as the oldest surviving designed feature in the park. Other attractions in the area included a children's park, walking trails, and a redwood bird aviary.
The Golden Hill Park section of Balboa Park was developed and largely financed by nearby residents before anything but chaparral was in the Park's center. The National Register Golden Hill fountain is actually a rustic Arts & Crafts style inglenook with benches, rock double stairways, walls and radiating trails. The site was designed in 1907 by architect Henry Lord Gay, best known in town for designing the Western Metal Supply Company Building, now a part of Petco Park. Other than weed abatement and trash pickup, the area has been neglected by the City, its owner, for 50 or more years. The wood benches are long gone, the native stone and concrete stairs are decomposing and a safety hazard, and the fountain last worked in perhaps the 1930s. There is no identifying signage and the view from the road is blocked by random, rogue bushes. The City needs to start treating the Park's east side with the same respect and care as the Prado area. This 102-year-old site can and should be brought back to the neighborhood amenity and tourist attraction that it was in the pre-Expo days." This area is on SOHO's most endangered list: http://sohosandiego.org/endangered/mel2010/fountain.htm
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