Several years ago, Gladys Novinger was San Diego's Honorary Consul, a Board member at the Museum of Man (now known as Museum of Us) and a docent at the San Diego Museum of Art at Balboa Park. As she became familiar with the Park and its activities, she was chagrined to discover that Peru was not yet part of the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages in the Park and she and like-minded
Peruvians set out to do something about it. They soon founded the House of Peru as a 501(c)3 Charitable Non-Profit Organization in June 12, 2003 and on March 27, 2004 it was officially accepted as a member of the House of Pacific Relations (HPR). Since then, House of Peru has been active and an integral part of HPR as part of its 33 member cultures and nations that share their unique characteristics with San Diego and the millions of visitors who come back to the Park each year. In 2015, with House of Peru leading the way as the HPR worked through the City of San Diego's many required bureaucratic steps and approvals, we have at last received authorization to build nine new international cottages in the Park. The design of the cottages is complete and we are now eagerly and enthusiastically looking forward to finally opening our cottage, strengthening our physical presence in the Park as we provide information about Peruvian culture, tourism, arts, music and commerce, sharing our millennial heritage with those who visit Balboa Park and using the cottage as a central meeting for Peruvians living in and visiting San Diego.
