In 1953, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies was founded in La Jolla, California. For more than a year, Jonas Salk had toured the country in search of the right location for his research center.

Finally, in 1960 wooed by San Diego Mayor Charles Dail, who had experienced polio, and the City of San Diego’s gift of 27 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the site decision was made. Salk partnered with architect Louis Kahn to design such a research center. He summarized his aesthetic objectives by telling Kahn to “create a facility worthy of a visit by Picasso.”

With financial support from the National Foundation/March of Dimes, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies opened its doors in 1963.