Plaza de España was built in 1928 for the Seville, Spain World's Fair in 1929. While this palace area is vast, the surrounding area improved just for the World's Fair is much larger. Acres of gardens were created and surrounding streets with elegant homes were built for the wealthy. These residences were to prevent ugly commercial buildings from eventually crowding in on the area. This plaza is full of benches, canals, Spanish tiled alcoves and bridges. It has been the setting for movies from Laurence of Arabia to Star Wars.