The San Diego History Center occupies a 1926 building in Balboa Park, adjacent to the Museum of Art and the Timken. The permanent collection covers San Diego from the Kumeyaay period through the Spanish missions, the Mexican era, and American development up through the mid-twentieth century. The photographic archive — over two million images — is the museum's greatest asset and the source of much of what is visible in the gallery exhibitions.
The temporary exhibitions rotate three or four times a year and are typically the more interesting element of any visit. Recent programs have covered Chicano history, the evolution of San Diego's beach culture, and the city's relationship to the US Navy. The research library upstairs is open to the public and holds extensive archives for anyone researching local history.
The History Center also operates Villa Montezuma in Sherman Heights as a historic house museum. Tickets to one include discounted entry to the other.