Tag: buildings

Two unusual rooms in a San Diego hotel!

A luxurious hotel in downtown San Diego contains two huge rooms that are quite unusual. One used to be a basketball court, and another was an indoor swimming pool!

The Guild Hotel occupies the historic 1924 building that was originally home of the Army-Navy YMCA. For decades, tens of thousands of sailors and military men would head to this location on Broadway, not far from the waterfront, to recreate. They’d play basketball, run around an elevated indoor track, and swim in a basement pool.

The Guild Hotel, when it moved into the iconic building, creatively repurposed two large indoor spaces. The huge basketball court was converted into the grand Grace Ballroom! The swimming pool was turned into the Society Ballroom!

I was shown these spaces several weeks ago during the San Diego Architectural Foundation Open House event.

Just inside the front entrance of the luxurious The Guild Hotel in downtown San Diego.

The Guild Bar in the hotel lobby.

To the left of the bar, a door opens to the unusual Grace Ballroom.

The Grace Ballroom at The Guild Hotel was originally an indoor basketball court. Military men shot hoops here for decades when the building was an Armed Services YMCA.

An elevated platform intended for jogging or running continues to surround the hotel ballroom!

Beautiful tiles along a stairway that descends from The Guild Hotel lobby to a lower level.

An old photograph of the large swimming pool that once occupied the Army-Navy YMCA’s basement.

The swimming pool is gone, replaced by the Society Ballroom! The historic space was set up as a meeting room when I toured the hotel.

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Four Seasons slowly turning in Bankers Hill.

A kinetic metal sculpture in Bankers Hill turns with the wind. It’s titled Four Seasons.

The abstract public art, created by San Diego based artist Amos Robinson in 2007, stands in front of the office building at 1855 First Avenue.

Four Seasons slowly revolved as I paused near it a few weeks ago. (I was walking down the sidewalk back toward downtown after touring the very cool Hawthorne Historic Inn.)

Another unexpected discovery!

And look what I spied outside one corner of the same office building… An apple!

(Appears that someone has large, very strong teeth!)

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

San Diego’s historic Balboa Theatre turns 100!

This coming Thursday–March 28, 2024–the Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego will have been opened for 100 years!

Those walking down the sidewalk past the historic building might notice some intriguing graphics that celebrate the big anniversary.

Look at my first photograph, taken this morning. Beside the stage door on Fourth Avenue you can see promotional material from 1924.

The Opening Night of San Diego’s Newest Motion Picture House Finished at Cost of $800,000 would feature Lilies of the Field. The film’s stars, Conway Tearle and Corinne Griffith, would also make a personal appearance.

Over the course of a century, the Balboa Theatre has undergone many changes, all the while remaining an important part of life in downtown San Diego.

Read the fascinating history here.

Additional graphics along the sidewalk tell more of the Balboa Theatre’s unique story:

The Balboa Theatre’s Famous Morton Organ

…The organ has more than 1400 keys and is connected to a series of 2,000 pipes that produce the sounds of a range of musical instruments, including drums, trumpets, and a xylophone!

Because of its unusually ornate “wedding cake” console carvings and unique details, the Balboa ‘s is believe to be the first of only five Wonder Morton Organs ever built and one of only four that survive today…

Balboa Theatre organist Edward Swan, who provides organ accompaniment for up to 12 hours every day, claimed that the Morton organ was the finest he had ever played.

In 1929, the original Balboa Theatre organ was relocated to the Fox Theatre, now Copley Symphony Hall.

The 4-manual, 23-rank Wonder Morton Organ currently installed at the Balboa was constructed in 1929 for the Loew’s Valencia Theatre on Jamaica Avenue in Queens…

There will be a special showing at the Balboa Theatre this Friday to celebrate the big 100 year anniversary. The Flying Fleet, a 1929 silent movie that features scenes in San Diego, will be accompanied by the current Wonder Morton theatre pipe organ.

You can learn more about the event by clicking here!

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Art, gardening and fun at the Soap Factory!

The Soap Factory, at 2995 Commercial Street, is a mixed-use event venue in Logan Heights that features a historic brick building, lots of cool art, an outdoor garden, and even a small soap factory!

The public had the chance to take a look inside The Soap Factory last weekend during the San Diego Architectural Foundation Open House event.

I walked around the old building and found some great murals. Then I walked into the arched open air pavilion, which, as I understand it, was previously utilized as a garage by an auto parts company and Pacific Bell. During my visit, some workers were setting up a stage for an event.

I then stepped from the pavilion through a door, led by a friendly Open House volunteer, and found a bar, tables and assorted furniture surrounded by more eclectic art. In one corner of the building’s interior is a small soap “factory” which is the source of handcrafted Early Girl Creations products.

The spacious outdoor area, which now features a garden (including a robotic watering device!), once contained mock telephone poles. The poles were used to train Pacific Bell technicians who’d practice ascending them!

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Celebrities, ghosts and history in Bankers Hill!

The Hawthorne Historic Inn in Bankers Hill is a picturesque old Victorian. Built circa 1900 in the Dutch Colonial style, the building attracts the eyes of those passing down 1st Avenue.

A public tour of the Hawthorne Historic Inn was offered last weekend, as part of the San Diego Architectural Foundation Open House event, and I took full advantage of the opportunity!

Not only could visitors explore the interior, with its long, bright skylight and beautifully furnished rooms for rent, but we learned that the building has a very rich and surprising history!

A handout provided by the property owner explained how Mr. Jones, a movie starring Richard Gere, was filmed here in 1993. You might recall scenes of Richard Gere’s troubled character on the rooftop.

It also recounted how Mohammed Ali and Sammy Davis, Jr. stayed at the inn in the 1960s and 70s. Back then, unfortunately, African Americans had difficulty obtaining rooms in other establishments.

Another tidbit that interested me is that in the 1980s, the Hawthorne Inn was one of three officially haunted places in San Diego! (I saw no ghosts during my tour.)

The inn was originally called “The Plainsman” in an old classified ad. It was a boarding house. It is one of the few Working Man’s hotels remaining from the turn of the 19th century.

The second owner, last name Warren, was a women who was a Theosophist. She was likely involved in the founding of Lomaland, the Theosophical community located in Point Loma.

I learned the property has had its ups and downs, but is currently on the upswing. Today it’s a fine apartment building with great views of downtown and San Diego Bay from its upper floor and an outside balcony.

The Hawthorne Historic Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a California State Historic Landmark.

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

History inside old San Diego bread factory!

Industrial baking equipment can be viewed inside the building in Logan Heights that once housed a San Diego bread factory. The old building, at 1955 Julian Avenue, is now home to Bread & Salt, a cultural hub that features multiple art galleries, plus a brewery and coffee shop.

Today’s coffee shop–which occupies the oldest part of the building–is where Cramer’s Bakery operated a century ago. Read its history here.

The bakery expanded over time and eventually produced Weber’s bread, as you can see in my photograph of the building’s front entrance.

I stepped into Bread & Salt today because the public was invited to tour the historic building during this weekend’s San Diego Architectural Foundation Open House event. While I enjoyed viewing artwork in the various galleries, I was most intrigued by the remaining old baking equipment.

I’m no expert, so I can’t explain all that I saw. No information was available. Perhaps knowledgeable readers can leave a comment.

I did observe how bread dough would be sent from large steel “funnels” hanging from the ceiling into large bread-making ovens (one oven remains behind the coffee shop counter). A machine against a nearby wall appears to have been used for making or mixing dough. I also recognized an old-fashioned printing press. I don’t know if it was utilized in the factory–perhaps for advertising.

Step through the following door to make your own discoveries:

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Free architectural tours in San Diego this weekend!

An architectural masterpiece, the First Church of Christ, Scientist building by Irving Gill.
An architectural masterpiece, the First Church of Christ, Scientist building by Irving Gill.

An incredible free event is taking place in San Diego this weekend, March 9 and 10. The San Diego Architectural Foundation‘s big Open House San Diego 2024 will allow the public to tour dozens of fascinating buildings around the city!

I’ve enjoyed many Open House tours in past years. As before, the buildings that you can freely explore are located in several San Diego neighborhoods.

This year the neighborhoods are Bankers Hill, Barrio Logan, National City, Point Loma, Coronado, Downtown and La Jolla. Some of the included buildings are old, some are new. Some are historically important. All feature uniquely interesting architecture.

There are guided tours and self-guided tours. In many cases, the public is allowed to view interior rooms and private spaces.

Most of the Open House tours require no reservation–just show up on the designated day between certain hours. To get a full rundown of the architectural tours you can enjoy in 2024, click here!

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

New public art appears at RaDD in San Diego!

New public art has appeared at the RaDD (Research and Development District) complex that now rises on San Diego’s waterfront!

Sculptures and murals can be viewed by those walking along the Embarcadero among the five gleaming RaDD buildings where some construction fences have recently come down.

I was able to photograph the above sculpture and a long mural today during my walk near the USS Midway, the Greatest Generation Walk and Ruocco Park. I also spotted a water feature among plants and trees between the two southernmost buildings.

Another large red sculpture and another mural have also appeared among the buildings to the north, but construction fences still obstruct photography. I’ll try to provide more photos when those fences are removed.

I know nothing about the artists. If you have any interesting information, please leave a comment. If I learn anything further about this new public art in San Diego, I’ll post an update!

(Last November, I spotted a new mural at the north end of RaDD. See those photos here.)

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Swiss clock tower rises above San Diego!

This might surprise you, but the high clock tower that rises above San Diego’s downtown 12th and Imperial Transit Center came from Switzerland!

A detailed explanation of the 233 feet high tower clock and its history can be found here. This is part of the description:

The Swiss Bank corporation which worked with the County of San Diego and the Metropolitan Transit Development Board, arranged for the donation of the clock from “Ebel Watchmaker Co.” of Switzerland… The tower was built in 1988 and the clock installed later that year. The clock has four dials, with red Roman numerals, a white face and 6-foot long red hands. The mechanism was shipped unassembled to San Diego from Switzerland in a jumbo jet. It took 12 days for Swiss technicians to put the system together…

There’s no elevator in the tower, so assembly of the clock was a difficult task that required manually carrying boxes full of mechanism parts up the equivalent of fifteen stories!

I believe the impressive clock still operates. The clock was installed with electronic speakers for chimes–but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard them.

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Sunrise paints the sky above downtown.

This morning, as the sun broke above the horizon somewhere east of downtown San Diego, sunrise colors painted the sky and reflected from building windows along Broadway. It was stunning.

I stood in the median of Broadway at Kettner Boulevard and aimed my camera at the risen beauty. A few minutes later, the fiery colors would fade.

Late tonight another big storm rolls into San Diego. More flooding is expected. Hopefully everyone stays safe!

…

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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!