History

Plaza de Panama MOU ruled invalid

Posted: February 3rd, 2012 | Balboa Park, History, News |

The continuation of the Plaza de Panama Project, designed to make Balboa Park more pedestrian-friendly before its Centennial Celebration in 2015, became less certain after a recent court ruling.

The Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) filed a lawsuit in August 2011 after the City Council voted to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Plaza de Panama Committee regarding its proposed project to eliminate cars from the center of the park. Judge Judith Hayes ruled in favor of SOHO on Jan. 19.

Freedom of Speech Exhibit honors Centennial

Posted: February 3rd, 2012 | Balboa Park, History, Museums | 1 Comment

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the fight for free speech in America, Centro Cultural de la Raza, located at 2004 Park Blvd. in Balboa Park, will feature the San Diego Free Speech Fight 100-Year Anniversary Exhibit. Running through Feb. 12, this exhibit will feature photos from the 1912 movement, as well as first-hand accounts and media reports

How University Heights Streets got their Names

Posted: November 11th, 2011 | Communities, History | 3 Comments

In the large development of University Heights, which was mapped in 1888, the original street naming pattern consisted of states in the U.S. for streets oriented north-south, and presidents of the U.S. for streets oriented east-west. The state streets roughly follow a geographic pattern, but you have to compare the 1888 University Heights map to the U.S. map by imagining you are holding the U.S. map standing on Adams Avenue at the north edge of the tract and looking southward toward Balboa Park

First Model Home of Inspiration Heights

Posted: October 28th, 2011 | History, Homes, Mission Hills |

After the 1909 announcement by the San Diego Chamber of Commerce to develop the Panama California Exposition in San Diego in 1915, a virtual land rush exploded as real estate speculators poured money into housing projects. Heir to a large plot of land surrounding the Victorian Villa Orizaba on hills overlooking San Diego Bay and Point Loma to the south, Harry L. Miller recruited a real estate development team to erect the first two of four “model homes” in the “Inspiration Heights” subdivision of what is now Mission Hills in 1911. Miller created a real estate marketing strategy to attract tourist lot buyers in anticipation of the exposition.

Centennial Edition of Kensington home tour, April 24

Posted: April 16th, 2010 | History, Homes, Kensington |

Kensington is a beloved neighborhood for its historic single-family homes, many of which were developed to be distinctly Californian

No home for “free” house despite SOHO intervention

Posted: April 15th, 2010 | Communities, History, Homes, Lifestyle, News | 1 Comment

The fate of the historic Harwood-Tichenor House, built in 1887, remains in limbo

Century Plaza: Plaza de Panama centerpiece of celebration

Posted: March 23rd, 2010 | Balboa Park, Communities, History, Infrastructure | 2 Comments

By Ron James — SDUN Editor-in-Chief

In today’s special interest society, is it possible for citizens to come together to do something as monumental as the creation of Balboa Park and the 1915 Panama Exposition?

Documentary about SOHO and forty years of historic preservation

Posted: March 22nd, 2010 | Arts & Entertainment, Communities, History, Movies | 1 Comment

By Ann Jarmusch — SDUN Reporter

Coming to a movie theater near you for one night only: An epic story teeming with true grit, tragedy and triumph! Plus a cast of dozens of San Diegans with hearts of gold!

Misson Hills protects its historic treasures

Posted: February 21st, 2010 | Communities, History, Mission Hills | 1 Comment

By Priscilla Lister

Mission Hills boasts some of the most beautiful historic neighborhoods in the city. It is an excellent place to find inspiration from its historic architectural styles.

The Mission Hills Historic District, formally designated in 2007, was “the first resident-funded and driven district in the city of San Diego,” says a publication from Mission Hills Heritage, a group of local preservation-minded residents

Shop Hillcrest for the Holidays and Win!

Posted: December 12th, 2009 | Communities, History |

Do your holiday shopping in Hillcrest, and you just might win a $1,000 shopping spree. This month the Hillcrest Business Association is putting on a Shop Hillcrest for the Holidays promotion — the more you buy, the more raffle tickets you collect from local merchants