 In early 1899, the city's business leaders started making noises about hosting a Pacific Ocean International Exhibition in 1901. The Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish American War and transferred control of the Philippines from Spain to the U.S., had just been signed. And this committee of businessmen were eager to show off the nation's latest acquisition, the Philippines, and that territory's native products. Unfortunately, the Treaty of Paris was made without the consent of Philippine leaders who then declared war on the U.S. on June 2, 1899. And this little action unfortunately nixed any state backing for an international exposition. Not to be deterred, the Mechanics Institute's last fair, held in September of 1899, featured a very successful exhibit of the art and culture of the Philippines, including a small village of grass huts and regular acrobatic performances. But ultimately, that fair was a disaster financially. The pavilion, however, continued to be rented out for other activities like dances, political rallies, ice and roller skating, and indoor and outdoor bicycle races. This particular photo is of a girl who won a diamond ring for being the queen of the rollers. This photo was taken on April 17, 1906, mere hours before the Great Quake. Here's a list of activities that occurred at the Mechanics Pavilion over the years. Lots of fun times, as you can see. The Pacific Kennel Club held its first bench show there. All kinds of parties and dances. There were several beautiful baby shows, boxing matches, live chess tournaments. Too bad it's gone. The pavilion survived the earthquake and was briefly used as a hospital before it burned down in the subsequent fire. This photo is of injured people being evacuated by the army. Now almost immediately after the rubble from the 1906 earthquake was cleared away, the city started eyeing our property at Larkin and Grove. Something called the California Promotion Committee was wishing to create a civic center or a complex of buildings, which was to include the new City Hall and a municipal auditorium, which they wanted to occupy our site. At first Mechanics was against this idea because it wanted to rebuild its pavilion and host fairs again, but in June of 1909 an accord was reached and released the land to the city for 50 years. Meanwhile we were occupied with the construction of this building, 57 post. Its cornerstone lane was timed to boost interest in the upcoming Portola Festival, which was a grand five-day series of parades and parties to celebrate the rebirth of San Francisco, its recovery from the earthquake in October 1909. The success of the Portola Festival showed that San Francisco was ready to host something bigger, and this is the time when formal plans for the Panama Pacific International Exhibition began to be laid. In December 1909 the Mechanics Institute passed a resolution to aid the Panama Pacific International Exposition, and in January 1910 our President Rudolph Tausig, that's him in yellow, was nominated to be on the Board of Directors for the Exposition. He held the position of Executive Secretary. He's there in the middle row on the extreme left. So if you look in any history book about San Francisco or California, you'll find very little about the Mechanics Institute or its fares. The reason for this is largely because of the 1906 earthquake and fire. We lost our library, we lost our fair building, and we stopped being in the public's eye on a daily basis. Somehow over the next century we became the city's best kept secret. The Mechanics Institute has a thrilling history, one that truly helped shape the life experience that we so value in San Francisco. It also has a thrilling future, and I look forward to sharing both with you. Thank you for coming tonight, and thank you for your interest in the Mechanics Institute. And it's only 95 a year!