Old tin shop sign still visible on the historic 1882 Independent Order of Odd Fellows Building in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. A remnant of a past era.
While walking around downtown San Diego, I’m always pleased to make unexpected discoveries. Once in a while I’ll spot faded signs and advertisements that were painted years ago on historic old buildings. Unfortunately, many of those old signs are vanishing and will eventually be lost to time. Some of those walls will be painted, or new buildings will sprout up . . . That’s progress, I suppose.
I did some searching on the internet looking for information about the more mysterious signs, but with very little success. I increased the contrast of many photos to try to make out the faded words. If you know anything, leave a comment!
Most of these photos were taken in the morning, the last three or four days…
A faded sign is painted high on the 1888 Nesmith-Greely Building on Fifth Avenue. It is just visible from the street.One can barely make out the words HOTEL . . . ROOMS 50c to $1.00Old brick building at Seventh Avenue and G Street has words so obliterated I can’t decipher anything.The William Penn Hotel building at Fourth Avenue and F Street opened in 1913 as the elegant Oxford Hotel.Painted words from San Diego’s past. The Windsor Hotel on Fourth Avenue was built in 1887. The first floor was once a pool hall; in the 1960s it contained cardrooms and nightclubs with go-go dancers.The 1910 Western Metal Supply Company Building is now an iconic part of Petco Park in San Diego, home of the baseball Padres.The faded word LYON on a building at the corner of K Street and Fourth Avenue.From a distance, a square space on the side of the Simmons Hotel on Sixth Avenue appears to be blank reddish bricks.But a closer look reveals old words from many years ago. Perhaps you can figure out what they say.Faded words can also be spotted high on the Plaza Hotel building on Fourth Avenue.I can barely discern a few letters.The building on the right is The McGurck Block, built in 1887. A drug store was located in it from 1903 to 1984. Actor Gregory Peck’s father worked there as the night druggist.High up, painted on the old brick building’s side is a fading advertisement. A glimpse of San Diego’s past.
Here’s another pic I snapped on Fifth Avenue just south of Broadway:
Faded sign on side of a building on the 900 block of Fifth Avenue.
I’ve blogged in the past about a variety of cool old painted signs and images in downtown San Diego. Here they are:
Here’s a pic I took several years later, as I sat waiting for a bus at the City College trolley station, looking west…
…
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 fun photos for you to enjoy!
Colorful dots on the side of a building in downtown San Diego.
Every walk through the city is a voyage of discovery. Everywhere you turn there are sudden surprises of color, form and depth. An inquisitive scientist might see geometric order; an artist might discern shades, intimations, emotion.
This morning, during a walk through downtown, I photographed dots, squares, cubes and a rather crazy tangle.
Six blue squares on the north side of the Columbia Place building.Steel cubes on west side of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, which is housed in the Santa Fe Depot’s old baggage terminal. Art by Richard Serra, 2005. Litter atop cube 1 is by Anonymous. Idealized (though rusty) art meets messy (real) life.A crazy tangle of electrical lines in the entrance of the David C. Copley Building in downtown San Diego. A sculpture at MCASD. Power Maze with Sconce, Roman de Salvo, 1998.
…
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!
Two different buildings are reflected in the glass windows of 101 W. Broadway. On the left is the Spreckels Theater Building; on the right is the Sofia Hotel.
I confess that I love reflections. They often seem magical, like a glowing vision of intermingled dimensions. So I had to take more photos today of windows reflected in glass windows.
Walking down Broadway in downtown San Diego is like moving through a funhouse maze. Left and right, the mirrors rise into the sky. One passes through an otherworldly geometry of reflected forms; light dances like the spinning sun upon bright buildings.
Strangely distorted reflections in the windows of a San Diego high-rise.The old Armed Services YMCA building is reflected in the glass windows above the entrance of 501 W. Broadway.One America Plaza, San Diego’s tallest building, seen in a grid of windows across Broadway.San Diego’s distinctive Emerald Plaza reflected in the windows of 501 W. Broadway.The Westgate Hotel building gleams in the windows of 225 Broadway, the former NBC building.Unusual geometry caused by multiple reflections observed from street level.
…
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 Presidio Hills Golf Course Pro Shop can be found inside San Diego’s oldest building, La Casa de Carrillo.
Believe it or not, the oldest structure that still exists in San Diego (outside of the walls of the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá) contains a golf Pro Shop!
The two-century-old Casa de Carrillo, located near the base of historic Presidio Hill, was built in 1817, according to the Save Our Heritage Organisation. (Plaques at the location provide two different years.) It was built by the Spanish presidio’s commander, Francisco Maria Ruiz, for Joaquin Carrillo, a relative and fellow soldier stationed in San Diego. The adobe house stood beside the Comandante’s pear garden. Today the rather simple building, which was restored in 1931, is the home of the Presidio Hills Golf Course Pro Shop!
The small Presidio Hills Golf Course has its own unique history. Occupying what was once a scrubby plot of land at the foot of Presidio Hill, just east of Old Town, the pitch-and-putt golf course was developed in the early 1930s by George Marston, a visionary San Diego businessman and philanthropist who also worked to develop Balboa Park, the San Diego Public Library, and the San Diego Historical Society. Marston created the Junipero Serra Museum which rises today just above the site of the original 1769 Spanish presidio, so-called birthplace of California.
Over the years, the Presidio Hills Golf Course has hosted several world famous golfers, most notably Phil Mickelson, a resident of San Diego. When they were kids, Phil and his sister Tina would play all day at the small golf course. I was told by the super friendly young gentleman working in the pro shop that Phil Mickelson returns to visit every few years, just for old time’s sake.
A young Tiger Woods also won two Junior World trophies at Presidio Hills Golf Course!
Read the photo captions for a bit more information . . .
A photo of the small, historic adobe taken from the parking lot of the Presidio Hills Golf Course. Casa de Carrillo is the oldest structure that is still standing in San Diego.Bronze plaque near the front door reads: A portion of La Casa De Carrillo – Pear Garden House. A center of social life and romance in early Spanish days. Here lived Senorita Josefa Carrillo. One of the oldest adobe dwellings in San Diego. Built about the year 1810. Restored in October 1931.Photo of La Casa de Carrillo taken from a golf green just east of the structure.Sign near historical marker for Casa de Carrillo points to the golf course clubhouse and first hole.Presidio Comandante Francisco Maria Ruiz built this house next to his 1808 pear garden late in 1821 for his close relative and fellow soldier, Joaquin Carrillo, and his large family.Enter the old adobe and you will find the Pro Shop. The easy Presidio Hills Golf Course is a great place to learn golf–ideal for families and kids. And one gets a history lesson, too!Another look inside the restored adobe. I’m not sure which parts of the historically important building are original.An old newspaper article displayed in the pro shop includes a photo of 8-year-old Tiger Woods. He is showing off a Junior World trophy captured at Presidio Hills, where he won two titles.San Diego Union September 1, 1931. Old Town Links Well Under Way On Marston Land.Various photos of Presidio Hills Golf Course history inside the Pro Shop. Phil Mickelson and Craig Stadler are two notable golfers from San Diego.Another photo shows Don and Al Abrego Presidio Hills Tiny Tots Golf School. The defunct school has faded into history.The modest Presidio Hills Golf Course is Par 3, 18 Holes. It’s located at the east edge of San Diego’s Old Town.Another look across the small, easy golf course. It appears to be a bit neglected. Regrettably, I saw no players out on a Sunday afternoon.Old black-and-white photograph inside the Presidio Hills Golf Course Pro Shop shows La Casa de Carillo (note the different spelling) before it was restored in 1929.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! I also love history! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Gallery 21 in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village features a special environmental exhibit called Sustainability Studio!
I discovered a fascinating environmental exhibit in Balboa Park this weekend. The Sustainability Studio is located in Gallery 21 near the center of the Spanish Village Art Center.
This small but information-packed exhibit discusses how various museums and buildings in Balboa Park are engaging in conservation efforts, by using solar panels, low-flow water fixtures, LED lighting, and the intelligent use of resources. The exhibit also encourages kids to think about the environment and pledge to protect it. Fun activities include making leaves for the Tree of Change and a Balboa Park scavenger hunt!
To read the signs, click the images and they will enlarge.
The Sustainability Studio will remain open to the public through December. Bring the kids! They can learn something new, create some fun art, and engage in the easy scavenger hunt and win a cool prize!
Rubi welcomes visitors into the Sustainability Studio, where one can learn about the conservation efforts of various organizations in Balboa Park.Signs and posters in the special exhibit raise awareness about various important environmental issues. Kids are provided with fun activities that promote activism and conservation.Sustainability refers to the conservation and efficient use of essential resources. Balboa Park’s efforts include solar panels, low-flow water fixtures and LED lighting.Kids visiting the exhibit are encouraged to make a leaf with a hand tracing, then inscribe it with an environmental pledge.Leaves on the Tree of Change. Kids pledge to ride bikes, turn off lights, recycle, use less water . . .A scavenger hunt is described on this flyer. Upload 5 selfies to Facebook that include a Balboa Park sustainability feature and claim a great prize!Various museums and buildings in Balboa Park are working to become more environmentally friendly.The San Diego Natural History Museum became the first Balboa Park LEED Certified building in 2009.The San Diego Air and Space Museum has increased energy efficiency and achieved significant water savings.Fun works of art produced by creative kids hang from the ceiling. I like the ocean!I love turtles!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
“Old La Jolla” hand drawn fire engine dating from 1886, on display at The San Diego Firehouse Museum.
A simple but elegant old firehouse stands in downtown San Diego at the corner of Columbia Street and Cedar Street. Those who step inside are in for a very big surprise.
The San Diego Firehouse Museum today occupies what was once an active fire station–San Diego Fire Station No. 6. Located in Little Italy, this unique museum isn’t large, but it’s crammed with so much cool stuff and so much fascinating history, you could easily spend an hour enjoying the many exhibits. There are shiny red vintage fire engines, a steamer equipped with a huge boiler, antique hand pumpers, firefighting apparatus of every sort, helmets, badges, a big display of model vehicles, historical photographs . . . and just lots and lots of firefighting artifacts, dating as far back as the mid 1800s. Much of what you’ll see represents the history of firefighting in San Diego; other objects in the museum come from fire departments around the United States.
Here are some photos which I took during a recent visit. The volunteer on duty was very friendly and provided some interesting historical information. I learned that private events can be held in the old firehouse, and that kids love having birthday parties among all the fire engines. Museum admission is only 3 dollars for adults and 2 dollars for children and seniors. Quite a bargain!
The San Diego Firehouse Museum is manned by friendly firefighter volunteers. It’s located in old Fire Station No. 6 at 1572 Columbia Street in Little Italy.A look inside the Firehouse Museum, which is absolutely jam-packed with cool historical exhibits. Kids love this place.Two of the many vintage fire engines in the old firehouse. The museum’s walls are lined with interesting objects that tell the story of firefighting since the mid-1800s.The San Diego Firehouse Museum was founded in 1962 and is operated by the nonprofit Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company.A closer look at a 1914 Seagrave Pumper. During my visit, I learned that fire engines are also called pumpers.Even more old fire engines can be seen in a second room inside old Fire Station No. 6.Water pressure controls on the side of one pumper.This white fire engine was stationed at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. It can be seen in old photographs and postcards.Another look at the historic 1915 Panama-California Exposition fire engine. This section of the Firehouse Museum is a bit dark and close, which makes it hard to take a good wide photo.This glass display case in the museum contains all sorts of old fire fighter helmets and protective headgear.One corner of the Firehouse Museum showcases many old fire insurance marks which were affixed to buildings. One of these marks dates back to 1714.Smokey Bear welcomes visitors to The San Diego Firehouse Museum.One wall features a collection of old fire extinguishers.The Ely Adapter was invented by San Diego Fire Department’s Assistant Chief Robert Ely.Felt and paper stovepipe hats once worn by firefighters during parades.Model of 1899 Metropolitan Steamer with 1911 Christie tractor.Another display case at The San Diego Firehouse Museum contains all sorts of interesting old artifacts.A third room in the Firehouse Museum contains this 1903 coal burning steamer. Fire heats the boiler water, making steam, which activates a piston that pumps water.Stairs once used by scrambling firefighters when old Fire Station No. 6 was operational.An old photo of San Diego Fire Station No. 4 and its personnel.Photos of the San Diego Fire Department testing their new Ahrens Steamer at the courthouse on Broadway and Front Street in 1906.A collection of colorful antique hand pumpers at The San Diego Firehouse Museum.The San Diego Firehouse Museum is fantastic place to learn a bit about San Diego and the history of firefighting.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! 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 interesting photos for you to enjoy!
You can help save Balboa Park’s beloved Starlight Bowl!
I’m no expert on this matter. Take whatever I say with a grain of salt. I’m just an ordinary guy who has lived in San Diego for a good chunk of my life.
I would like to raise my voice in support of saving the Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park. I’m not affiliated with Save Starlight. They have no clue who I am. But I’m attached to their cause. A chain of fond memories is my bond.
Years ago I enjoyed watching a variety of theatrical productions with my family in this beloved outdoor amphitheater. Some of those productions I experienced as a child and young adult, and they made a lasting impression. They helped me to develop my particular love for the written (and spoken) word, and for the great outdoors. My small world expanded as I sat beneath a universe of twinkling stars and absorbed great plays–those undying expressions of human longing, emotion and imagination. And it was simply exciting–like going to an outdoor concert!
I’m sure thousands–if not millions–of people have similar memories of the Starlight Bowl: memories of fine drama and pleasure under those twinkling stars, of laughs, tears and smiles, out in the fresh San Diego air, a short walk from the many other wonderful institutions in Balboa Park.
The Starlight Bowl has languished far too long. What a shame. When I walk past it during my strolls around Balboa Park, I can’t help but envision it once again filled with humanity, playing a unique role in our ever-growing city. Save Starlight is working to bring the large, functional amphitheater back to life. According to an email I received, they are now working with the city, and they intend to fill the Starlight Bowl with concerts, musicals, dance recitals, circus acts, magic shows, multicultural festivals, graduations, and much more. A few more ideas have also popped into my head: corporate events, lectures, a meeting place for large community organizations . . .
Many of my blog’s followers either live in or have a personal attachment to San Diego. Would you like to help with this effort? You know, social media sites like Facebook can have a surprisingly big impact if people post and share information and opinions. So why not make your support known? Or perhaps just tell your friends about what’s going on.
Save Starlight is making a presentation to the City of San Diego within a week, and a handwritten letter of support would be extremely powerful. Ideas for a letter might include your personal connection with Starlight, practical reasons why you would like to see the Starlight Bowl reopened, or even how you would like to become involved. Perhaps you’d like to volunteer, donate, use the venue for staging an event, have your product carried in the concessions, etc. If you plan to write, do it soon!
Letters should be sent to:
Stephen Stopper, President
Save Starlight, Inc.
9590 Chesapeake Drive
San Diego, CA 92123
After languishing for many years, the Starlight Bowl might once again be filled with humanity and life. You can help make it happen. Your voice is important.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
I rely on Christine’s hot chocolate on rare super cold San Diego mornings. She’s been smiling near the corner of Sixth and B Street for as long as I can remember!
These photos were taken during a morning walk down Sixth Avenue in downtown San Diego. They contain cool smiles and glimpses.
Walking south along Sixth Avenue in downtown San Diego, approaching Ash Street.Reflection in glass panes of the Parking Palace shows the iconic sign atop the El Cortez.Still walking down Sixth Avenue, now approaching A Street.Ornamentation near roof of the old World Trade Center, which has been converted into housing for the homeless. The Art Deco building was once home of publishers Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.A bird flies between skyscrapers.Looking up at a corner of the America’s Finest City mural on Sixth Avenue.A Kurt Cobain quote over doors at the downtown House of Blues. “If it’s illegal to rock and roll, throw my ass in jail.”Banner promotes romance in the Gaslamp Quarter. The nearby Jewelers Exchange in the Timkin Building at the corner of Sixth and E Streets is packed with dozens of small jewelry vendors.Photo of moon, high above towers of Louis Bank of Commerce Building’s facade, one block over on Fifth Avenue. This famous location was home to Wyatt Earp’s Oyster Bar gambling hall and saloon.Rear of Reading Cinemas Gaslamp building. The movie theater closed in February. The complex originally opened in 1997 as Pacific Theatres. It was used in past years for popular film festivals and San Diego Comic-Con screenings.Angels in flight on rear of the now closed Gaslamp movie theater.Old faded words painted on brick exterior of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Building in San Diego’s Gaslamp spell Tin Shop.Utility box on Sixth Avenue painted with tea, sandwiches, coffee, salads, burrito and bagels. It made me so hungry, I wanted to step through that cafe’s door!Hotel Z really really catches the eye with their new, flamboyant paint job. According to their website, their slogan is A Piece of Pineapple Hospitality.A funny sight glimpsed inside the window of Cute Cakes. San Diego’s Swinging Friar is seated by a big Petco Park frosted cake filled with sprinkle fans!Morning deliveries and jogger near an electric guitar on the employee door of the Hard Rock Hotel.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! 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 fun photos for you to enjoy!
A happy clown face decorates the Fourth Avenue sidewalk, a block north of Broadway near the center of San Diego.
Should you ever walk along Fourth Avenue in downtown San Diego, you might stumble upon a delightful surprise. A bit north of Broadway a clown face smiles up from the sidewalk. Above him is a heaven of old circus tile artwork, depicting exotic animals and performers in every sort of crazy pose. The art decorates a building which is now home to Halah’s Market.
It isn’t the sort of thing one expects to see in San Diego! At a Las Vegas hotel or casino, perhaps!
I can find nothing about the origin of this circus artwork. If you happen to know something, please leave a comment!
Halah’s Market in downtown San Diego has a storefront with some fantastic, nostalgic circus artwork. The canopy above the entrance resembles a carousel. Searching the internet, all I learned about this building was that it was built in 1925.Acrobats and performing animals of every description . . . including elephants, penguins, zebras, camels and bears. A circus atmosphere in an unexpected place!A singing pig is joined by a trapeze artist and a seal in a hat. One often sees images of surfers, Hispanic culture or local landmarks in San Diego–not the circus!More fun animals in poses that suggest circus acts.A surprising clown greets walkers in downtown San Diego!
UPDATE!
I got a great comment! This location used to be the Chi-Chi Club San Diego! More can be learned here!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! 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 fun photos for you to enjoy!
Photo of a unique downtown landmark. The shining lattice dome of the San Diego Central Library, as seen from the ninth floor’s outside deck.
Many old redundant photos are being purged from my computer this weekend. But I had to definitely share these!
I’ve blogged about San Diego’s relatively new downtown library several times. I’ve posted more than a few pics of its unique lattice dome. You might recall some weirdly halo-like photos I took in the darkness early one night last year.
Well, check these out! The curving lines of steel reflected in the building’s windows look like a lesson in complex geometry. You know, in a strange way the dome reminds me of a graph or diagram demonstrating how time and space can be warped by gravity! Am I crazy? What does it look like to you?
A collection of rare books is housed in a room on the ninth floor of San Diego’s public library.The visually impressive steel lattice dome tops an airy two-story high library reading room. An architectural marvel.Reflections in the windows create a fantastic, mysterious image.Looking upward at the metal dome and blue sky. Amazing views can be had of downtown from the library’s ninth floor.Lots of geometric complexity and dazzling light for my camera’s lens.Peering down into the spacious reading room on a bright sunshiny day.Filtered light and shadows form unusual grid-like patterns inside the reading room. The perfect place to study a math book, maybe.A three-dimensional delight. Intersecting lines fascinate the eye.One last cool photo. I feel like I’m floating through some sort of mathematical dreamscape.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Do you like to read short pieces of thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
Cool San Diego Sights! 