Sparks were flying today in San Diego’s amazing Balboa Park!
As I walked near the Botanical Building, I noticed a small army of people working to preserve and improve the historic structure.
I spoke briefly to someone working on the project. He explained that the base of the colossal, over one hundred year old steel structure is being replaced. That’s because there’s a lot of weight to support!
I also learned that the steel framework of the Botanical Building was originally assembled using rivets, as was common in the past. The aging upper structure is being reinforced where necessary, including areas where past patchwork repairs were made.
I asked why the steel skeleton couldn’t be entirely replaced. The answer, of course, is that the Botanical Building has special historical status. It was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. It was one of the few exposition structures intended to be permanent.
How long will the structure endure once this restoration is completed? I asked. Well over a century was the answer!
Finally, as I walked about I noticed the removed cupola has been placed in a fenced area at the center of a nearby parking lot.
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Last year locally and internationally renowned artist Mario Torero painted four murals for the San Ysidro Health building in National City, at the intersection of 8th Street and D Avenue.
The colorful faces depicted in these outdoor murals belong to labor and civil rights leaders: Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong, Dolores Huerta, and Martin Luther King Jr. The faces of these cultural icons are rendered in Torero’s distinctive style.
Torero, co-founder of Chicano Park, is famous for his socially conscious artwork. You’ve likely seen his work elsewhere around San Diego.
I photographed the four postage stamp-like murals during a walk through National City.
Cesar Chavez mural by Mario Torero.Larry Itliong mural by Mario Torero.Dolores Huerta mural by Mario Torero.Martin Luther King Jr. mural by Mario Torero.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Many of those big, beautiful old coral trees at Embarcadero Marina Park North near Seaport Village have been cut down. I was startled to see this development today during a sunny afternoon walk.
According to Rockman, the street performer who stacks rocks near Seaport Village, the Port of San Diego cut them down on February 25th.
According to this article, coral trees are not well-suited for the marine environment. That’s because the soil in the area around the bayfront is high in salt content, which causes the trees to dry out and potentially fall… The article also states new trees will be planted in the Fall.
Well, if there’s any positive side to be found, perhaps it’s that kite-flyers no longer have large hungry kite-eating trees to deal with. I saw many colorful kites today flying above the grass and the sad, strange sawdusty stumps.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
California pioneer M. C. Close and his mermaid Trixie. La Jolla. February 29th, 1910.
Do you love viewing or collecting old postcards?
Postcards are experiences frozen in time. Images and a few words are meant to be shared and remembered.
Postcards that were printed long ago can also be windows into history.
I saw an old postcard of the San Diego Zoo the other day. I then wondered how many cards depicting San Diego and its attractions are in the public domain.
Upon visiting Wikimedia Commons, I discovered quite a few!
Here’s a diverse selection of old postcards that you might enjoy looking at. In several instances the image information wasn’t very detailed, so I did a little extra research. Postcard dates were taken from Wikimedia Commons, or in one case inferred: the Spreckels Organ Pavilion showing a wicker electriquette cart. Read the captions.
Anyone who has memories or additional information, please feel free to leave a comment!
San Diego Zoo. Entrance to the zoo. 1961.El Toreador Motel, San Ysidro. Date uncertain. El Toreador opened in October 1948.U. S. Grant Hotel, San Diego. Date uncertain.Fifth Avenue Auto Wash at Fifth and Kalmia. Circa 1920-1929.Fred Vinyard Overhead Garage Doors, 3600 block of Pacific Highway, opposite Consolidated Aircraft. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.Japanese Tea House, Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, 1915.Little Chapel of the Roses, Chula Vista. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.Pickwick Hotel in downtown San Diego. Between circa 1930 and 1945. Today the 1927 building is home to The Sofia Hotel.Panoramic view of San Diego, circa 1900-1909. The foreground appears to be Bankers Hill.Hotel Del Coronado. Circa 1900-1909.Steaming through San Diego County, California. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945. Santa Fe train passes through orange groves.Mission San Diego. Founded by Padre Junipero Serra. Circa 1900-1909.Caves of La Jolla. Circa 1900-1909.The Barcelona Hotel and Apartments in Bankers Hill. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.Tropic Motel, 2611 San Diego Avenue (off U.S. 101), in Old Town San Diego. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.Ferry Boat Ramona. San Diego. Circa 1910.Twin Inns, Carlsbad. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.State Normal School, San Diego, 1905. State sponsored teacher training college in University Heights. Demolished in 1955.Carnegie Library, San Diego, 1905. Opened in 1902 at Eighth and E Streets. It was demolished in 1952.Amusement Center, Mission Beach, San Diego. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945. Today this is Belmont Park with its Giant Dipper Roller Coaster.Point Loma Homestead. 1906. Lomaland of the Theosophical Society, established in 1900.Postcard of The San Diegan at San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot train station in August 1973.Tugging A Sailing Boat to Sea. San Diego. Circa 1910.The Open Air Organ, Balboa Park, San Diego. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Circa 1915.Bath House. San Diego. Circa 1910. Los Baños pool and public baths opened downtown in 1897 near the foot of D Street (Broadway).Portion of Business District, San Diego. Image predates 1920.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
To see a list of Irving Gill’s other works in San Diego and Southern California, visit his Wikipedia page here.
The Buel-Town Building, 1898.
With its arched corner entrance, bay window, and corbelled brick cornice, this building reflects the originality of the architects Hebbard and Gill. Gill, the principal designer, had a preference for natural forms, over the highly ornate European styles common of his era. This is evident in this structure, which was one of his earliest works. After serving tenants such as the Western Metal Company and Buel-Town Chemicals, the building was converted for use as The Old Spaghetti Factory Restaurant in 1974.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Do you have a turtle or tortoise that has outgrown its welcome? There are people in San Diego who’d love to adopt it!
Today I learned how members of the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society actively rescue, rehabilitate and adopt animals that might otherwise be neglected or abandoned.
Friendly members of the society were hosting a show in Balboa Park, which featured live turtles and tortoises, plus tables full of plants that these reptiles can eat. There were themed gifts on display, too!
Visitors to the show were encouraged to adopt one of the homeless critters!
If you have an unwanted turtle or tortoise, or wish to adopt, check out the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society website here!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Who would have believed the SDSU men’s basketball Aztecs would be one victory away from a national championship?
Tomorrow the San Diego State University Aztecs face the University of Connecticut Huskies for all the NCAA Tournament marbles. The Aztecs are underdogs. Which means they are poised for another hard fought victory!
What an accomplishment to even reach the Final Four. But now there’s a chance for SDSU to absolutely shock the sports world.
I thought it would be fun to head to SDSU by trolley late this morning to see what I might see. I walked through the center of the campus, past Viejas Arena, past frat houses and local businesses, hoping to find excited banners, posters, hand made signs, anything expressing school spirit during this incredible historic event.
Nothing.
Yes, I know it’s a Sunday and the Aztecs advanced to the title game only yesterday. But the Final Four is a week old. If there are any signs of school spirit now decorating the campus, I completely missed it.
I just saw the above sign at a preschool across Montezuma Road.
I do know for a fact that there are a whole lot of fans out there! So Let’s Go SDSU Aztecs!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
The San Diego Padres 11th Annual Opening Weekend Block Party is going on as I type this!
Head over to J Street between 7th & 10th Avenue (north of Petco Park) and partake of food, drink, live music, fun games, and the fellowship of other Padres fans! Hurry though! It continues today, Saturday, through 4:00 pm.
As I walked the three blocks, I saw booths and food trucks galore. Many of San Diego’s local professional teams were present, as were MTS, the San Diego Library and other good people!
And there’s a big screen where they’ll be showing the SDSU Aztecs men’s basketball team competing in the Final Four!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 