The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a world-renowned research institute located in the stunning coastal neighborhood of La Jolla in San Diego, California. It is also my favorite building in Southern California. The history-making institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine. Salk selected one of the most celebrated architects of the 20th century, Louis Kahn, to design the research facility.