Tag: buildings

A close look at Liberty Station’s Gate One.

Perhaps you’ve driven through Gate One while arriving at or departing from Liberty Station. It’s the old Navy base entrance at the northeast end of Liberty Station, where Lytton Street and Barnett Avenue meet.

You might have noticed plaques on the two old guard buildings.

Curiosity getting the best of me, the last time I was in the neighborhood I walked around both historical buildings for a closer look.

Gate One was the main entrance to Naval Training Center San Diego, and the grassy area with an anchor behind it is Sellers Plaza. As this webpage explains: Named for the base’s first commander, Sellers Plaza serves as the Naval Training Center’s front door.

You can see Gate One in the center of this postcard:

Image courtesy Libery Station.

Here are photographs I recently took in front of Gate One…

Identical plaques are mounted to the front of both buildings near the arch. The steel arch was added in 1932.

I’m now standing by Building 20. There across the road is Building 21.

The plaques summarize the history of the San Diego Naval Training Station, which opened in 1923 and was finally decommissioned in 1997. Over 1.75 million sailor recruits would receive training here.

Now I’ve walked behind Building 20…

A plaque by the door to Building 20 identifies it as Gatehouse #1, constructed 1923.

Dodging a car or two, I’m now behind Building 21…

The rear of both buildings feature these beautiful tile fountains.

A plaque by the door of Building 21 identifies it as the Pass/Decal Office, constructed 1922.

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A quaint, old 19th century chapel in Oceanside.

I was exploring the neighborhood near Balderrama Park in Oceanside when I spied this quaint old structure at 1510 Lemon Street. I had stumbled upon the historical 1893 St. Mary’s Chapel.

The location of today’s much larger St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, near the Oceanside Civic Center, is where this old chapel was originally built. The wooden chapel, affectionately called the Capillita, was completed in 1896.

The city of Oceanside was incorporated a few years earlier, in 1888, when its population was only 1000.

After the city had grown and a larger church was built in 1927, the chapel served as Parish Hall. The small chapel was later moved to its present location. It was restored in 1977.

You can read about its history here.

The St. Mary’s Chapel remains very active, as I saw during my walk. A service was being held inside, and I didn’t want to intrude.

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La Jolla’s historic Post Office and the New Deal.

In ten years the historic post office in the Village of La Jolla will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

It’s very fortunate the 1935 building has been preserved. The result of a Great Depression-era works program, the post office was threatened by a planned U.S. Postal Service downsizing in 2011. The historic building was saved by an outpouring of community activism.

The handsome La Jolla Post Office was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 and remains a beloved landmark in La Jolla at 1140 Wall Street.

The architectural style is considered Mission Revival. You can read about its construction and history on the Living New Deal website here.

It’s interesting to note the building’s plaque states the La Jolla Post Office’s creation was the result of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Living New Deal website, however, states it was the Public Works Administration (PWA). The two were separate programs.

Inside the post office lobby, a beautiful New Deal-era mural was painted by renowned local artist Belle Baranceanu. The art shows a hilly panorama of La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean. If you’d like to see photos of the mural, click here!

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Progress of construction projects in Balboa Park.

A variety of construction projects are now being undertaken in Balboa Park. During my walk today, I took photos that show good progress.

No, I couldn’t take photographs of the work being done on the roof of the San Diego Natural History Museum. I don’t have a helicopter! See a recent blog post concerning that here.

Okay, here we go. My first photographs show how a beautiful new pergola is being added to Balboa Park at the west end of the Botanical Building.

The next photo was taken a few months ago. A tree at the corner of the San Diego Museum of Art was being carefully removed from a spot near where the pergola will be built.

The tree has been temporarily relocated to the fenced “island” behind the Botanical Building.

Today, here’s that same spot where the tree was removed:

Banners hung on the construction fence describe how the historic pergola from 1915 is being rebuilt.

And one more photo taken today of progress at the pergola construction site…

Next, the House of Czech & Slovak Republics cottage is almost completely repaired. A corner of the building was decimated by a falling eucalyptus tree during a wind storm earlier this year. I never did take photos of the serious damage.

A few weeks ago, a member of the House of Czech & Slovak Republics told me that he was grateful the work was being done expeditiously.

Today, I saw the exterior is now painted. A worker told me things are “getting there.” I did note as I walked past the cottage that one door is boarded.

Next, a nearby building, which houses both the Hall of Nations and House of Italy cottage, has had the following exterior damage for quite a while now.

The worker I spoke to said he believed these repairs are next.

Finally, I noticed the front entrance of the Municipal Gymnasium continues to be readied for its amazing new marquee and its bronze panel mural.

As more progress is made, and as this historic ornamentation is added in the near future, I hope to take additional photographs. Exciting stuff!

UPDATE!

I’ve learned the tree moved for the pergola construction is a a mature Bischofia javanica, or Toog tree. It will return to its spot once the pergola is completed! Read more here.

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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 X.

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Tour of San Diego Civic Theatre renovations!

Special tours were enjoyed by the public today of San Diego’s newly renovated Civic Theatre.

The tours were part of the Civic Theatre’s 60th Anniversary Open House Event, which also featured live music, food and more good stuff outside the building in Civic Center Plaza.

I enjoyed a tour and took photos as our group went along.

The renovation concentrated on the theater’s front of house areas. I was told no substantial changes were made in the auditorium.

The work was accomplished during two 4-week periods, and has filled the gleaming Civic Theatre with new tile, new carpeting, new concession areas, new furniture, even new trashcans! The old very red interior is now brighter with sunny, beachy colors that better reflect San Diego.

Even the vertical “bars” on the building’s exterior have been painted in a way that makes its appearance more distinctive.

You can see photos of the Civic Theatre taken five years ago during an architectural tour here.

The old interior, with its lavish reds, made the place seem like a satiny European palace, or that last room in Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. Yes, this is an improvement!

We’ve entered the remodeled lobby. The island that used to be the ticket booth is now an inviting place where theatre-goers can order food and drink. (Tickets are now purchased at the outdoor box office in Civic Center Plaza.)

Now we’re heading upstairs toward the Mezzanine level. Those white onyx columns were wrapped with beautiful gold-colored metalwork during the renovation.

This handsome concession nook has brand new tiles, inside and out.

That’s the amazing Grand Salon with its enormous chandelier ahead. The display on the left (also in my very first photo) shows how things appeared before the renovation. Yes, it was very red!

Beautiful new tables and chairs match the new carpeting. The place even smells new!

Looking down into the Grand Salon. Grand is the appropriate word!

Now we’ve headed up to the Balcony level.

You can learn more about this absolutely amazing chandelier here.

Fashionable new “sconce” lights are evident, too, as we head down stairs to the Dress Circle level.

And here we are at the Dress Circle level, entering the Grand Salon. Beadwork above that smaller chandelier is new, created by a local artist. All the ottomans are new, too.

Beautiful new ornamental touches above the elevator.

More amazing than ever…

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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 X.

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Natural History Museum skylight on the ground!

Remember the large, beautiful skylight above the central atrium of the San Diego Natural History Museum? It’s no more!

What you see in the above photograph is what remains of the old skylight structure. Dismantled sections of the framework now sit on the ground in a nearby parking lot.

The Natural History Museum is reconstructing its roof. No more skylight. As this NAT webpage explains, the new solid roof allows for the installation of 200 solar panels and promises better climate control to protect the museum’s valuable collections. The new roof will be easier to maintain and more environmentally friendly, too.

Visitors to Balboa Park can see the huge crane that is being utilized for the work…

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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 X.

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Amazing transformation coming to Balboa Park!

An amazing transformation is coming soon to Balboa Park!

Hopefully by Thanksgiving, definitely in time for December Nights I’m told, the front entrance of the Municipal Gymnasium will be radically altered. The historic building will more closely resemble how it appeared when it debuted in 1935 as the Palace of Electricity and Varied Industries during the California Pacific International Exhibition!

A construction fence in front of the Municipal Gymnasium was put up recently. Today I spotted workers atop the building’s marquee preparing the structure for its monumental transformation!

What will this amazing change look like when completed?

Click here and here to enjoy a preview, and learn more!

UPDATE!

A week later, I noticed the following changes. First, a descriptive sign appeared on the construction fence…

Municipal Gym Façade Restoration sign includes historical photo.

Second, markings have been made above the building’s marquee, in the space where the large bronze mural will be mounted…

ANOTHER UPDATE!

And a few days later…

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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 X.

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AI images: San Diego 100 years in the future!

What will the city of San Diego look like 100 years in the future? I was curious how today’s generative AI might picture it.

I used the prompt “San Diego 100 years in the future” with the AI Drawing Assist on a Samsung Galaxy phone. The images that were produced were rather startling!

Futuristic buildings, exotic elevated walkways and new modes of transportation…but how realistic is it to believe such radical transformations could be made in only one hundred years? (Um…anti-gravity?)

Nevertheless, this is pretty cool!

I see identifiable aspects of the present city skyline are incorporated into images, as well as San Diego Bay. Notice how certain recognizable buildings are arbitrarily positioned or weirdly altered by the artificial intelligence?

I love how lush green vegetation sprouts everywhere including the roofs and sides of many buildings. I love how curvy and absurdly complicated some of the conjectured architecture is!

(Earlier this year, I performed a similar experiment. I used the term “Balboa Park at sunset” to produce generative AI images in the same way. The results were bizarre. This is what I got!)

Okay–now for today’s experiment. AI draws the future of San Diego…

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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 X.

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A surprising vineyard on Mission Bay!

One might expect beach blankets on the sand and picnics on the grass around San Diego’s sunny Mission Bay. But a vineyard?

Well, yes!

A small working vineyard can be found below the patio of the Mission Bay Beach Club. With its Superbloom vegan coffee shop, yoga classes, artisan market, wine tastings and view of the nearby water, the unique gathering place is a hipster’s paradise.

The other day I walked past the distinctive building that is now home of the Mission Bay Beach Club.

As I walked past the landmark structure, which was built in 1969 by architect Richard Lareau, I recalled how decades ago it housed the Mission Bay Visitors Information Center. Travelers arriving in San Diego on Interstate 5 could exit at Clairemont Drive and learn all about our city’s attractions.

Before it eventually became the Mission Bay Beach Club, the building sat vacant for years.

In the 1980s, I used to shoot hoops at the nearby basketball courts with ordinary guys from the neighborhood. Those courts have been neglected, dismantled.

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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 X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego Comic-Con photos: 1 week to go!

One week to go in San Diego before the start of Comic-Con 2025! Preview Night is next Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

Not surprisingly, preparation in downtown San Diego–particularly in the Gaslamp Quarter and East Village–is kicking into high gear.

Cherry pickers everywhere! Lots of building wraps going up!

I’m always surprised at how quickly these gigantic advertisements can be applied to the sides of our downtown high-rises. They are essentially large format printed stickers. The workers are highly experienced and do an amazing job every year. Some of the guys are from Arizona; others come down from Los Angeles.

I walked down Fifth Avenue this morning, over the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge, then turned around, heading back to my nearby downtown home. I took a bunch of photographs!

First, here’s some cool stuff I saw as I headed down Fifth Avenue.

Peacemaker and Eagly have appeared along the sidewalk…

Check out this ultra-cool Hot Wheels vehicle! I assume it’s here for Comic-Con.

A shop window is painted with Batman, R2-D2 and other pop culture characters.

Outside Happy Does, workers were finishing up with the venue’s usual Paramount+ The Lodge wrap.

Workers were getting busy sorting rolls of printed “wrap segments” at the Hilton Gaslamp building.

And this is how the wrap will appear. Scream For Me!

On my return trip, I noticed they had already made a little progress…

Oh wow! What’s this at the Omni San Diego Hotel?

It’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle! All Out War Begins!

Coming around Petco Park, look what I spy on the Park 12 building!

This huge building wrap must’ve gone up super fast. It’s Dexter: Resurrection on Paramount+. He’s Alive and Killing It!

Looks like local artist Shirish Villaseñor is painting the windows of Sweet Things Frozen Yogurt with Pokémon characters! Every year she creates fun stuff for Comic-Con!

What’s this on the exterior of the Omni? I can see it’s a Sony movie that’s coming up.

Making my way back across Harbor Drive to the Gaslamp…

Heading back up Fifth Avenue mid-morning…

The two Daryl Dixon wraps on the Pendry San Diego Hotel appear more than halfway done!

Stay tuned!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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