Old photo of The Barcelona Apartment-Hotel in Bankers Hill, built 1921-1923.
I hadn’t planned to visit The Barcelona yesterday during the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s 2018 OPEN HOUSE event. But as I walked up Bankers Hill from one site to another, I spotted the old building and decided to venture inside. I’m so happy I did!
The almost century-old structure originally featured both a hotel and apartments, complete with solarium, ballroom, restaurant and golf course. Today it has been converted into an apartment building with amazing views of nearby downtown San Diego.
My favorite part of the short tour was visiting the sky deck up on the rooftop. Check out my photos and you’ll see why! Make sure to read the captions for more info about this historical building.
The Barcelona’s apartments today, photographed from Juniper Street.The Barcelona is a featured location during the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s 2018 OPEN HOUSE event.City of San Diego historical landmark plaque near entrance to The Barcelona.The Barcelona was built in the Spanish Colonial/Spanish Eclectic style. It was designed by architect Eugene Hoffman.Excavation of the site took 6 months. The current penthouse units on the 5th floor roof originally formed a solarium.Historic postcards of The Barcelona in San Diego.A volunteer for the OPEN HOUSE architectural event took me up the historic elevator!The cool old elevator reminded me of my childhood, when I dreamed of becoming an elevator operator!The volunteer guide quickly showed me one of the sunlight-filled apartments. The view of downtown is incredible.But the sky deck will take your breath away!Incredible view of Bankers Hill and San Diego Bay from the sky deck of The Barcelona!The building’s penthouse apartments are beyond this comfy outdoor sofa.Looking down on the many colorful rooftops of Bankers Hill!An incredible view of the downtown San Diego skyline from the sky deck of The Barcelona!
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View of the House of Charm in Balboa Park, home of the Mingei International Museum.
I made a very cool discovery today during the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s 2018 OPEN HOUSE event!
After an amazing tour of the Timken Museum in Balboa Park, which I will be blogging about shortly, I crossed the Plaza de Panama to catch the final part of a special talk at the Mingei International Museum. I was astonished to learn the museum is about to undergo a complete transformation!
What I learned about the upcoming changes is really exciting! In order to make the museum more dynamic and accessible to the San Diego community, the first floor Plaza Level will become a free space where ordinary people can mingle and openly enjoy culture and expression with friends and other visitors. New additions will include a cool sculpture garden, a small sit-down restaurant, and a new theater space. A balcony overlooking the Plaza de Panama will provide amazing views of Balboa Park, and stairs to the second floor art gallery will ascend through the House of Charm’s iconic tower, with views of the beautiful Alcazar Garden below, where there will be a new west entrance!
I didn’t catch all the details, so I hope that what I’ve just told you is correct. You can see some of the plans on the Mingei’s website here. I did learn that this amazing transformation will begin later this year–I believe I was told around September–and the museum will close during construction. During the House of Charm’s renovation the museum will have surprise pop-up exhibitions around San Diego and other fun events to fill in the void.
I also learned the total cost of the project is $40 million, and more money needs to be raised. Can you help? If you’d like to help shape Balboa Park’s brilliant future, check out this page!
Visitor to the Mingei learns about the museum’s upcoming transformation during the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s 2018 OPEN HOUSE event.Images were displayed after a talk by celebrated architect Jennifer Luce. This one shows a theater space to be added to the building’s expanded southeast corner.Rendering of the theater that will add even more life to the Mingei International Museum.Stairs to the second floor Gallery Level will ascend through the House of Charm’s iconic tower. A new entrance to the museum will be added at the east end of the Alcazar Garden.Rendering of daytime activity on a new second floor balcony overlooking the Plaza de Panama.Rendering shows diners at night on the balcony. Illumination along the balcony will add a signature touch to the museum’s appearance.People freely enjoy a new pocket park-like sculpture courtyard at the Mingei.Photo taken today of the House of Charm and its iconic tower from the Alcazar Garden. Big changes are coming!
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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!
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The highlight of my walk through Balboa Park today was the San Diego Wabi Spring Flower Show. My feet often halted as I passed dozens of exquisite Japanese ikebana flower arrangements. My camera couldn’t stop snapping. As you will see, the beauty was indescribable.
This annual event, which is held for one weekend inside the Casa del Prado, provides a breathtaking exhibition of the traditional Japanese art, as taught by the Ohara School of Ikebana. In addition to the many heavenly flower arrangements, there were demonstrations by local ikebana masters for those who are interested in learning about or practicing this ancient art form.
Many of these photos are close-ups of flower arrangements. I tried my own “hand” at artistic composition.
I’m so envious of the talent displayed at this show. Every careful work of floral art was a poem for the eyes.
The San Diego Wabi Study Group Annual Flower Show, with beautiful ikebana arrangements and demonstrations, was held this weekend in the Casa del Prado in Balboa Park.Many superb examples of exquisite ikebana Japanese flower arrangement pleased the eyes of delighted visitors.
Young eyes observe a demonstration of traditional ikebana flower arrangement. Every work in this ancient art form is like a visual poem.
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Close up of a colorful mural now on display in front of the San Diego Museum of Art.
Many extraordinary artists make San Diego their home. They help our city sparkle with culture and energy.
Amazing works by distinguished local muralists are now on display in Balboa Park, directly in front of the San Diego Museum of Art.
The six colorful murals, painted live a couple weeks ago, are inspired by a world-class exhibition now running inside the museum. Modern Masters from Latin America: The Pérez Simón Collection is an exhibition of modern Latin masterpieces that no art lover should miss. I blogged about it here. Go soon. It will be closing in two weeks.
I don’t know how long these murals will be on display outdoors in front of the museum, so swing by Balboa Park soon to enjoy them in person!
To see the murals of Chicano Park, you can click here.
Visitors to Balboa Park check out a couple of the murals temporarily on display in the Plaza de Panama.Sign in front of the San Diego Museum of Art explains the outdoor Local Latin American Masters exhibition. Six murals were painted live in front of the museum.Art by Victor Ochoa. His work has been widely published. He was one of the original muralists to work in Chicano Park.Art by Carmen Kalo. She is a San Diego native who actively leads Chicano Park tours, builds social awareness, and works with at-risk youth and the homeless.Art by Hector Villegas. He is a teacher who has painted three murals at Chicano Park.Art by Cesar Castañeda. He owns the Chicano Art Gallery in Barrio Logan.Art by Stephanie Cecilia Cervantes. A painter first inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, she was a muralist during Chicano Park’s 2011 restoration project.Protecting Our Water and Earth by Mario Torero. He is an artivist and founding member of the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.Amazing artwork that the public can see close up and in natural sunlight, just like the many fantastic murals of Chicano Park!
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Today I published a new short story. It’s titled One Magic Bubble. I suppose the short piece is about life.
Mosaic on Walgreens building in Coronado depicts an old ferry crossing San Diego Bay.
Last weekend during my walk through Coronado I noticed a really beautiful work of art. A colorful mosaic, set into the travertine exterior of the Walgreens building on Orange Avenue, depicts a ferry crossing San Diego Bay crowned by a flock of seagulls.
According to my limited research, it appears that the mosaic was created in 1985 by Susan Hertel and Denis O’Connor, in collaboration with Millard Owen Sheets, who designed many Home Savings of America bank branches in California. The mosaic represents one of the historic ferryboats that once transported cars between Coronado and San Diego. Ferries for cars operated until 1969, the year the San Diego–Coronado Bridge opened.
When the artwork debuted, the building at 925 Orange Avenue was a Home Savings branch. Subsequently it became a Petco. As building occupants have come and gone, the extraordinary mosaic has been preserved.
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
The complex masts, yards and rigging of a fantastic tall ship.
Stad Amsterdam is perhaps the most beautiful ship I’ve ever seen. It’s now docked in San Diego not far from the Star of India. The incredible Dutch clipper ship, which is operating as a cruise ship, will be visiting our city for a week or so.
I posted some evening photos of Stad Amsterdam taken on Friday here. I also shared a couple of fascinating facts about the ship.
This morning I walked down to the Embarcadero again to see the beautiful tall ship in its full glory. Here are my photos…
A wave from a crew member working high up on a yard of the beautiful three-masted Dutch clipper ship Stad Amsterdam.This is perhaps the most beautiful ship I’ve ever seen.Volunteers and sail crews from the Maritime Museum of San Diego got a special tour aboard the Stad Amsterdam.A friendly gentleman on deck spoke to me for a minute and other curious people who were passing by.I walked along the length of the Dutch tall ship to experience its full majesty.Close photo of the stern of Stad Amsterdam.Another crew member near one of the elegant wood cabins on deck.Members of the Stad Amsterdam crew work together as a team to manipulate a sail.Hauling a rope that is attached to a canvas sail high above.Walking along the Embarcadero, looking at the extraordinarily beautiful tall ship.The profile, size and color scheme of Stad Amsterdam makes it appear a little bit like San Diego’s own historic Star of India.I asked about the figurehead of the Stad Amsterdam and was told it doesn’t represent any particular person. The female holds a globe and points gracefully forward into the future.Crewmembers take to the ship’s rigging to do some work.Out on a yard unfurling a heavy sail.The fantastic tall ship has masts that touch the sky.Crew members work with a sail.The three-masted clipper ship Stad Amsterdam docked near the Maritime Museum of San Diego.Figurehead of the beautiful Dutch tall ship Stad Amsterdam.
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Evening photo of the beautiful tall ship Stad Amsterdam docked on San Diego’s Embarcadero.
An incredibly beautiful tall ship is now visiting San Diego. The Stad Amsterdam, an enormous three-masted clipper ship modelled after the 19th century frigate Amsterdam, is docked at the Embarcadero just north of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Talking briefly to a crew member, I learned the Stad Amsterdam is operating as a luxury Dutch cruise ship. It recently cruised north along the coast of Mexico after passing through the Panama Canal.
The Stad Amsterdam arrived in San Diego yesterday and will be visiting our fair city for the next eight days.
I stumbled upon the amazing tall ship this evening as I walked across Harbor Drive from Waterfront Park. Fortunately there was still enough light to take a few photos. I’ll probably swing by again this weekend to enjoy another look at the ship in broad daylight!
One interesting thing I discovered while doing a bit of research. In 2009 the Stad Amsterdam was used to reenact the second voyage of HMS Beagle, made famous by Charles Darwin. The survey expedition to South America was aired on Dutch television.
Photo of stern of Stad Amsterdam as the sun is setting behind a bank of clouds. The sails of Star of India, pride of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, can be seen in the distance.A sailboat turns on gleaming San Diego Bay past the figurehead of Stad Amsterdam.The last rays of sunlight illuminate the furled sails of the amazing tall ship Stad Amsterdam.
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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!
Workers install Jaume Plensa’s new sculpture Pacific Soul in the public plaza by the Pacific Gate condominium tower in San Diego.
This evening, after dark, I walked past the nearly completed Pacific Gate by Bosa condo tower and noticed an elaborate sculpture is being installed in the building’s public plaza near the corner of West Broadway and Pacific Highway.
I asked one of the workers about the artist and learned this new public art installation is the work of Jaume Plensa, the renowned Spanish artist whose monumental sculptures can be found in major cities and museums around the world. He designed the Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park.
This new sculpture, which is titled Pacific Soul, looks intriguingly complex. According to one article I found, it’s inspired by the tangled roots of rainforest trees and is composed of stylized characters from diverse alphabets. When finished it will be about 25-feet tall and appear like a seated person gazing west toward the Pacific Ocean.
I think it’s going to be amazing! I can’t wait to see the finished work!
Pacific Soul by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, when completed, will be about 25-feet tall and appear like a seated person gazing west toward the ocean.
UPDATE!
I walked down Broadway to see what progress had been made on Friday morning–about two days later. Workers were getting ready to assemble large sections of the monumental sculpture. Here are some photos…
Sign explains that you are viewing the installation of Pacific Soul by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. (Click image to enlarge the sign for easy reading.)Worker installs Pacific Soul in the public plaza by the new Pacific Gate high-rise condos in San Diego.
ANOTHER UPDATE!
On Saturday the several sections of Pacific Soul had been pieced together. I was told the sculpture will be lit at night from below, and that people will be able to walk through it!
More photos…
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Raúl Prieto Ramírez, San Diego’s new Civic Organist, raises his arms in greeting.
I’m still in a state of elation after experiencing the exciting debut this afternoon of San Diego’s new Civic Organist!
The first appearance of Raúl Prieto Ramírez as official organist for the city of San Diego was nothing less than phenomenal. He performed in Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion, where the public will now enjoy his free performances every Sunday at two o’clock.
His great love of music, his energy, his vivaciousness and his extraordinary skill were apparent from the start. An enormous audience filled the Spreckels Organ Pavilion and welcomed him warmly. At the conclusion of the exciting concert, he received a well-deserved standing ovation.
San Diego is so fortunate. The shoes of previous Civic Organist, Dr. Carol Williams, would be difficult for anyone to fill, but Raúl Prieto Ramírez seems definitely up to the task. His playing is crisp, nimble, precise, and full of expression. His smile is enormous. His mission in life, he told the audience, was to bring to the world great music. That makes him happy.
Raúl Prieto Ramírez comes to San Diego from Barcelona, Spain. He is internationally acclaimed, the founder of the Barcelona-Mataró International Organ Festival. Now he will perform his magic in Balboa Park as Civic Organist and Artistic Director of the Spreckels Organ Society. I can tell you right now the future of the 103-year-old Spreckels Organ is incredibly bright.
My photos of today’s concert captures a true artist’s unbounded passion. That passion translates into musical gold.
Jack Lasher, President of the Spreckels Organ Society, welcomes new San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez to the world’s largest outdoor organ in Balboa Park.A sparkling debut concert is about to begin.A tradition for the Sunday organ concerts in Balboa Park, Raúl Prieto Ramírez plays America to get things started.The San Diego audience loved our new Civic Organist from the word go.Raúl Prieto Ramírez talks about coming to San Diego, before his brilliant performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor.Playing the Spreckels Organ with style and passion.There were many smiles throughout the large audience at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Every bench was full.Finishing a difficult Classical piece with a triumphant flourish.With theatrical flair, Raúl Prieto Ramírez talks about the next piece, Danse Macabre.Concentration.Feeling.Intensity.More smiles.After a great organ rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, Spreckels Organ Society’s Executive Director Ross Porter announces kids are needed for the next number.Kids from the audience take the stage right next to the Spreckels Organ console.Here comes a fifth kid.Instructions are secretly given.While Raúl Prieto Ramírez plays Batalla Famosa, the kids read a short dramatic sentence that introduces each part of the music.Too much fun!Meet the new San Diego Civic Organist, Raúl Prieto Ramírez!
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
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