"Guardian of Water" - Donal Hord

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Donal Hord's public art is displayed at numerous locations around San Diego. Most of the works are accessible to the public and many have become fixtures in San Diego's history. Others have seen see these works but might have never connected them to the same artist. However, now you will know.

Donal Hord was one of the local artists that was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) Federal Arts Project to design and install significant public art sculptures to capture the spirit of the New Deal. Three of these major installations can be seen and enjoyed today in Balboa Park, at San Diego State University, and most notably in front of the County Administration Building (formerly the Civic Center). Another of his WPA-era installations (relief panels) can be found on one of the exterior walls of Coronado High School.

Donal Hord was born in Prentice, Wisconsin, in 1902 but was raised in Seattle, Washington. While in Seattle, Hord studied sculpture with Anna Valentien. Ms. Valentien was a sculptor who learned her craft from one of the most important sculptors in modern history, Rodin. When you look at one of Donal Hord's sculptures, see if you can find Rodin's indirect influence on his work.

Due to health reasons, Donal left the cold weather of the Pacific Northwest and sailed south to the warmer weather of San Diego, California in 1916. Like so many other people who came to San Diego for health reasons, he fell in love with the city and never left. He died in San Diego in 1966.

This article will focus on the beautiful figures that Donal Hord created for the public during the Federal Arts Project, which was part of the national Works Progress Administration (WPA). There are other works located around the region that were post-WPA. We will cover those installations in a subsequent article.

Donal Hord WPA Art in San Diego County

"Aztec" - Donal Hord

"Aztec Statue", San Diego State University (SDSU)

In 1936, Mr. Hord received funding from the WPA Federal Arts Project and an SDSU student group to carve a statue for the campus. It took Hord and his team a year to carve the figure out of a one-ton block of black diorite stone. Interestingly, the stone was quarried locally from Escondido. Hord named the complete sculpture, "Aztec."

This figure was received so well by SDSU's students that it eventually became an inspiration for the campus mascot, "Monty Montezuma." As the campus grew over the decades, "Aztec" was moved around to different locations. The sculpture is not just an art piece; it is part of the campus and its identity.

"Aztec's" current home is in the University's Prospective Student Center. When we went to SDSU in the 1970s and the 1990s, the statue was located on the lawn near the SDSU Open Air Theater. The San Diego Trolley project at SDSU forced the relocation of the "Aztec" sculpture to its rather odd new home under glass at the Prospective Student Center. At least it is now protected from the elements.

If you would like to see this sculpture in person, you will have to get out of your car or trolley to see it. Whatever the case, it is a short walk to see it and touch it. If driving, take the College Avenue South exit from I-8 and proceed up the hill to campus. Park at one of the pay lots that allows for general parking. Walk toward the Aztec Center and the Student Center area. You should see a pyramid-like glass building with a couple of desks and a large statue.

Do not feel shy about entering the building if you are not a prospective student. The staff is familiar with other Donal Hord fans that come to the campus just to see this beautiful piece of art and history.

While at San Diego State, you might want to see another of Hord's work on the campus. He also made a small bronze relief of former SDSU President Dr. Edward Hardy right in front of the Hardy Memorial Tower. If you are a student of history, you might want to enter SDSU's Malcolm Love Library and head over to visit Special Collections.

"Woman of Tehuantepec" - Donal Hord

"Woman of Tehuantepec", Balboa Park

In 1935, Donal Hord was commissioned by the WPA Federal Arts Project to create a sculpture for a tile mosaic fountain in the courtyard of the House of Hospitality in Balboa Park.

Unlike the smooth texture of "Aztec," the "Woman of Tehuantepec" has the rough and porous surface of Indiana limestone. The piece depicts a woman who is pouring water out of a pot or an olla directly into the mosaic fountain. The "Woman of Tehuantepec" is dressed in a huipil-style blouse. Her hair is adorned with two distinctive braids that are joined together in the back.

Rear View of "Woman of Tehuantepec"

While viewing the sculpture, note the power and grace of the figure. She is meant to look this way because the women of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec were known for their beauty and independence. Hord was not the only artist who was inspired by the beauty of the Tehuanas. Tina Modotti, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo also incorporated the image of the women of Tehuantepec into their art.

"Guardian of the Waters", County of San Diego Administration Building

Donal Hord's most accessible sculpture is situated in front of the County Administration Building on Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego. The "Guardian of the Waters" is Hord's largest sculpture in the country. The 16-ton sculpture stands tall looking out to San Diego Bay at 23 feet high.

A combination of private funds and funds from the WPA Federal Arts Project made this beloved public sculpture a reality. The project began in July of 1937 when a 22-ton granite block from Lakeside was delivered to Donal Hord's studio in Pacific Beach.

In his studio, Hord carved the incredibly hard large granite block into the graceful form of a pioneer woman holding a water jug. In San Diego, we all know how important water is to our semi-arid area. In 1937, this was the case as well. Thing's don't seem to change much in San Diego.

It took Donal Hord two years to carve the stone into the impressive granite figure that stands today. The statue is part of an equally large fountain that is adorned with mosaic tiles. Unlike the Balboa Park fountain with the "Woman of Tehuantepec," Donal Hord also designed the fountain and the tiles for "The Guardian of Water."

The enormous statue and fountain was dedicated on June 10, 1939 in a ceremony at the WPA-built Civic Center. Yes, you read that correctly, Civic Center. The building used to house both the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego. When you enter opposite sides of the building, look up on the exterior wall, and see if you notice that one entrance is marked City of San Diego and the other entrance is marked County of San Diego.
"The Guardian of Water" eventually became a well-known symbol of San Diego and has probably been photographed thousands of times. Over the decades, this statue has been adored by generations of San Diegans and legions of tourists.

The "Guardian of Water" was so appreciated that it was even 'exported' to Japan. In 1960, Hord was commissioned to produce a concrete replica of the statue to give to San Diego's sister city, Yokohama, Japan. In return, the people of Yokohama sent a ceremonial gong to San Diego as a token of their friendship. This same bronze bell is located in the structure called The Friendship Bell, which is located on Shelter Island right near the Kona Kai.

Mural Featuring Donal Hord

Interestingly another famous WPA Federal Arts Project San Diego artist, Miss Belle Baranceanu, painted a mural for La Jolla High School that featured the images of several people whom she knew. Her mural, the "Seven Lively Arts," depicted the art of "Sculpture" by incorporating a picture of Donal Hord on a ladder using chisel to carve the "The Guardian of Water."

"The Legend of California", Coronado High School

Donal Hord was commissioned by the WPA Federal Arts Project to design and install seven architectural panels at Coronado High School. The work was named the "The Legend of California." The main panel depicts the exotic mythical Amazonian, Queen Calafia, after whom California was named. The other six panels feature the diverse groups of people that helped develop this former territory of Mexico into the State of California. It was dedicated in 1941 and it still stands today for all to see.