Tag: construction

What makes a good nesting box?

We might be in the middle of winter, but spring will be here before you know it, and birds will be looking to build their nests.

If you’d like to construct a nesting box for your yard or as a community project, how can you make one that bird’s will like, choose and use?

Some useful information is posted in downtown San Diego at the Tweet Street linear park atop Cortez Hill. If you’re into DIY and like to use saw, hammer and nails, here goes:

The wood should not be painted. If you use a nontoxic stain, use lighter colors–sun on dark colors might make the box too hot. Natural wood is excellent.

The entry hole must be sized for the bird you wish to attract, and raised from the nesting box floor to accommodate a nest. Small ventilation holes at the top keep the inside of the nesting box cool.

A slanted roof will allow water to run off, keeping the birds living inside the nesting box dry.

Have a side panel that opens for monitoring and cleaning when the box is not in use.

Put up your box before birds begin to look for suitable nesting sites. (And put it well above the ground somewhere the birds feel safe.)

After the nesting season, use the side panel to clean out the old nest. Ready your nesting box for birds to roost in during the fall and winter, or the following spring.

If you’d like to see photographs of the many cleverly designed birdhouses in Tweet Street Park (and they’re pretty amazing), click here!

As you build your own unique bird house, have fun and be safe!

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Making progress on Balboa Park’s Central Gardens!

Today I noted that progress is being made in creating Balboa Park’s Central Gardens. Work continues to be done around the Botanical Building and along one side of the Lily Pond!

The new pergola west of the Botanical Building is taking shape, the grassy area around the fountain to the east is all dug up (as you can see in the above photograph), and new grass and garden plants can be enjoyed by park visitors in various other places!

Changes coming to downtown’s Wells Fargo Plaza!

Today during a walk through downtown San Diego I noticed workers removing the individual letters spelling WELLS FARGO from the front of Wells Fargo Plaza! It was down to WE. That piqued my curiosity!

Security guards behind the front counter told me the building is undergoing a renovation. On display inside the Wells Fargo building’s lobby, several renderings visualize proposed changes coming to the 24-story office tower. Each shows an outdoor restaurant concept at the main entrance.

I was asked not to photograph the renderings. They do look interesting.

I found this article. It explains that the Conrad Prebys Foundation purchased the building in 2025 as the cornerstone of the foundation’s efforts to reimagine and enliven the city’s downtown business corridor as a vibrant civic and cultural center.

As a downtown resident, I’ll have to keep my eyes wide open during walks to see exactly what the future brings! If I happen to note anything interesting, I’ll post an update.

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Reinforcing Navy Pier for Freedom Park.

If you’ve walked past the USS Midway Museum lately, you might wonder about that construction activity on Navy Pier. What you’ve observed are workers reinforcing the old pier, site of future Freedom Park, which is scheduled to open in 2028.

The Navy Pier Freedom Park Structural Pier Reinforcement–as a nearby sign proclaims–is being undertaken by the Port of San Diego and the USS Midway Museum.

The old Navy headhouse on the pier’s east end was demolished about a year ago. Now the work is to reinforce the pier with concrete by jet grouting along approximately 380 linear feet of retaining wall. What, you ask, is jet grouting? Here’s the Wikipedia page that explains.

According to a press release from last summer, this reinforcement phase is scheduled to be completed by February 2026.

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Balboa Park’s new pergola rises!

Balboa Park’s new Botanical Building Pergola is rapidly rising!

Three weeks ago I noticed the beginnings of construction. This newly created pergola, which will stand near the west end of the Botanical Building, recreates one of twelve pergolas that were originally in Balboa Park during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.

You can see my previous photographs and learn more about the project by clicking here. Now compare!

Nearby, workers are continuing to install the Central Gardens that will surround the Botanical Building.

I must say the pergola structure appears larger–longer and taller–than I imagined it would be.

When finished, the shady, restful Botanical Building Pergola should be another beautiful and practical landmark in Balboa Park!

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If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Chuckwagon and buckboard progress in Escondido!

Back in July, I posted a detailed blog about a chuckwagon that was being built at the Escondido History Center. Yesterday I saw the chuckwagon again, and it’s almost finished!

Here’s how it appeared a few months ago:

Yesterday, this is the chuckwagon displayed outside of the Penner Barn:

The vehicle, representative of the Old West, is mostly assembled now. I was told a few additional things must be done. The cloth covering is obviously one of those things.

What project is next at the history center’s Bandy Blacksmith & Wheelwright Shop? An old-fashioned buckboard!

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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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Plants appear for Balboa Park’s new Central Gardens!

How exciting! I see that potted plants have arrived in Balboa Park, to be planted in the new garden areas by the Lily Pond and around the Botanical Building!

The nine new garden areas together are called the Central Gardens. It’s a major addition to the park we all love!

Creating the Central Gardens with their new walkways and new pergola is Phase Two of the Botanical Building and Gardens revitalization.

You can follow the progress of the project and learn more about it by checking out this special Forever Balboa Park website.

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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!

Botanical Building Pergola begins reconstruction!

Back in 1915, during San Diego’s Panama-California Exposition, Balboa Park featured twelve pergolas. Three remain today: the columned ones curving on either side of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, and one inside the Alcazar Garden. You can read all about this history in a recent publication of the Committee of 100. Check out page 4 of their Spring 2025 newsletter here.

A fourth historical pergola will soon be returning! As you can see in these photos taken today, its reconstruction has begun by the Botanical Building!

The Botanical Building Pergola will stand to the west of the Botanical Building, directly west of a nearby fountain. For months workers have been digging and preparing the ground for the pergola–for the structure’s foundation, irrigation for nearby gardens, moving a large tree, etc.

Now steel is appearing! The pergola’s construction has begun in earnest!

Take a look at the map in my next photo. My first two photographs (above) were taken from near the “You are here” spot.

The existing fountain appears as the darkened circle. The dashed lines are the recently rearranged construction fences.

My final photograph was taken over the fence from a point just beyond the fountain.

I’ll post updates as the project moves along!

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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!

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.

Feel free to share!

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.

Feel free to share!