Being one of the most iconic streets in town, Balboa Avenue is an unmissable destination if you are visiting Panama City. It is an architectural snapshot that represents the city at a national and international level, and through its history, we can understand its importance and transcendence.
Join us, as we tell you everything you need to know about the world-famous Balboa Avenue.
The history of this street begins with urban growth and expansion in the first half of the 1990s. When the Santo Tomás Hospital began its construction process, the architect James Wright, who directed the project, rescued the urban design previously carried out for La Exibición. This projection suggested an octagonal mesh defined by the avenues that are nowadays known as Peru, Cuba, and Mexico, altogether with the “Gran Vía”, which is today Ecuador Avenue.
By integrating these existing plans with his work in progress, he added to the hospital design a podium that reaches beyond the shoreline and functions as a lookout to the ocean. He also
placed there the statue of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the historic Spanish explorer. Later, when the statue was unveiled in 1924, the day was declared a national day of joy.
A two-way, four-lane model was also integrated; it had a central green island in front of the hospital, which later became the pattern for Balboa Avenue.
It extended to El Marañon and then further to the northeast when the United States officially inaugurated its embassy on the grounds of Vista del Mar. In front of said government building, the Anayansi park was born, as a tribute to Balboa’s indigenous couple. Finally, in 1958, with the construction of the Cinquantenario road, this section of the avenue was completed.
In the 21st Century, the avenue underwent a significant transformation when, in 2007, the authorities began the first phase of the coastal strip, to further widen the avenue. Probably, this is an echo of the citizen protest of 2003 that was against the construction of a vehicular bridge and thus inspired this movement of space recovery and revitalization.
The goal of the project, then, was to reflect a real improvement in the quality of life and strengthen the relationship of citizens with their own city. Along these lines, a general improvement in infrastructure was achieved, with more pedestrian areas, green places with gardens, and bicycle lanes, solving vehicular issues and providing an environment for social convergence.
On Coastal Strip 2, for example, there is a large park with the Mirador del Pacífico, designed by the Spanish architect Juan Herreros. This is a public space for meetings of all kinds, from walks with your partner, to groups of friends, both for locals, and tourists.
With its unforgettable views of the sea, Balboa Avenue is a place you have to visit on your next visit to Panama City.
