Salk Institute

Salk Institute is located at North Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla, which is within the northern city limits of San Diego, California. The institute was established in the 1960s by Jonas Salk, who was the developer of the polio vaccine with the idea of creating a center for biological research and study. Located to the west of the University of California San Diego, the center was designed by world renowned Louis I. Khan and is now open for free guided tours.

Free architectural tours are available Monday to Friday at 12am but the institute is closed weekends and major U.S holidays. Visitors are requested to make a reservation at least two days in advance for the tour or for groups of seven or more at least two weeks in advance. The tour will show visitors the architectural style of the building, which is essentially a two mirror image structures of six stories each.

The building is made from concrete, teak, lead, glass and special steal and provides a lot of light and space with the laboratory walls made from large glass panes. The courtyard is made from travertine marble and has helped the building to be designated as an historical site. After a tour around the building, visitors may like to dine at Mustangs & Burros, which is on the same road as the institute.