Tag: construction

The iconic Gaslamp Quarter Archway refurbished!

When many think of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, the iconic Gaslamp Quarter Archway at the south end of Fifth Avenue comes to mind. The landmark sign welcomes one and all to downtown’s popular historic district.

This morning I noticed the old archway is being refurbished! Workers on two cherry pickers had finished painting the structure and were beginning to apply new graphics.

According to this web page, the last time the Gaslamp Quarter Archway was refurbished was 2012. The arch was originally installed back in 1990.

Here’s a pic I took a few years ago…

And here’s what I saw this morning…

I’ll head back to the Gaslamp this afternoon and see what progress has been made. I’ll post an update with more photos!

UPDATE!

This is what I saw mid-afternoon…

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The life and death of a downtown mural.

Perhaps you remember the birth of an amazing mural in downtown San Diego’s East Village. Almost three years ago, a beautiful, smiling face was painted by artist Carly Ealey on the old Farkas Store Fixtures building, at the corner of G Street and Ninth Avenue. You can see photos of the mural’s debut by clicking here.

Well, it’s gone. The old building has been converted into a high-rise, and the street mural was painted over. These colorful bike and scooter murals have been painted over, too.

Street art is no different than you, or me, or a building, or any other element in a bustling city. We come into this world then depart.

Live every moment to the fullest.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Restoring historical buildings for East Village Green!

Drivers heading down G Street in downtown San Diego’s East Village might observe something unusual. Between 14th Street and 15th Street two relocated old buildings have been raised above the ground as they are being restored.

Why the restoration of these historical buildings? The Murray Apartments Building and the Daggett Family Residence will stand at the edge of downtown’s large future park: the East Village Green!

According to the Barnhart-Reese Construction website, the 4.1 acre community park…will include a 13,657-square-foot community center, an underground parking garage, a children’s playground, an outdoor stage, dog parks, a water fountain and a games area. The East Village Green is expected to be completed in early 2025.

What about the two historical buildings? The Save Our Heritage Organisation website states: The Murray Apartments were constructed in 1903 at an unknown location and moved to 14th Street during the 1920s. The 1890s Daggett Family Residence was relocated in the 1940s…

I can’t wait to see the finished East Village Green park with its two handsome Victorian buildings!

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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 Twitter!

Garden removed from San Diego’s Waterfront Park.

Much of the garden at Waterfront Park on the north side of the County Administration Building has been removed. I noticed the orange construction fencing today during my walk along San Diego’s Embarcadero.

A worker told me they’re installing new pipes. As I understand it, much of this area will then be converted into basketball and pickleball courts and other outdoor recreational facilities, which can be enjoyed by downtown residents.

I noticed the fencing protects several trees. It’s also around world-famous artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s colorful Serpent Tree sculpture. I suspect these will not be moved.

How sad the beautiful garden is going away. I took photos of the lush garden one bright morning several years ago and posted them here.

I also went on an architectural tour of Waterfront Park and learned more about the garden’s design here.

If you know more, leave a comment!

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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 Twitter!

Gazebo at Balboa Park rose garden vanishes!

What happened to the big gazebo in Balboa Park’s rose garden?

During a walk today, I was surprised to discover that most of the circular structure has vanished!

As you can see in my photos, members of the Balboa Park Rose Garden Corps were busy working in the award-winning Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden. I asked a smiling volunteer what had happened to the gazebo.

I learned the wooden part of the beautiful shady structure was in bad shape due to years of rot and termite damage. It had begun to pose a safety hazard.

So the old, damaged wood was recently removed. The roses climbing up it were saved. A new structure will be built at some point in the future that will hopefully be more resilient. The flowering plants that remain at the center of the disassembled gazebo will be transplanted to Balboa Park’s Alcazar Garden.

Any comments with more specific info would be interesting!

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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 Twitter!

Improving the bowling greens in Balboa Park.

Members of the San Diego Lawn Bowling Club are working hard to improve the old bowling greens on Balboa Park’s West Mesa. As I walked past the greens today, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask a few questions.

The two 120 by 120 foot bowling greens were built in 1932. Old, badly warped wooden side boards are being replaced with concrete, sunk deep into the soil to help prevent tunneling by squirrels and gophers.

I learned club members are footing the bill. There’s more that ought to be done, however, including replacing the grass surface with artificial turf. Any financial help would be greatly appreciated. You can find a donation button at the bottom of their web page by clicking here.

Years ago I was offered a free lawn bowling lesson from a friendly club member. My novice rolls missed the jack by a mile. But the challenging sport does look like a lot of fun!

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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 Twitter!

Reinforcing history in Balboa Park!

Sparks were flying today in San Diego’s amazing Balboa Park!

As I walked near the Botanical Building, I noticed a small army of people working to preserve and improve the historic structure.

I spoke briefly to someone working on the project. He explained that the base of the colossal, over one hundred year old steel structure is being replaced. That’s because there’s a lot of weight to support!

I also learned that the steel framework of the Botanical Building was originally assembled using rivets, as was common in the past. The aging upper structure is being reinforced where necessary, including areas where past patchwork repairs were made.

I asked why the steel skeleton couldn’t be entirely replaced. The answer, of course, is that the Botanical Building has special historical status. It was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. It was one of the few exposition structures intended to be permanent.

How long will the structure endure once this restoration is completed? I asked. Well over a century was the answer!

Finally, as I walked about I noticed the removed cupola has been placed in a fenced area at the center of a nearby parking lot.

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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 Twitter!

Restoring the old Coronado ferry ticket booth.

I had walked into Coronado’s bayfront Centennial Park this afternoon, making my way toward the Coronado Ferry Landing, when I noticed work being done on the historic old ferry ticket booth.

I paused to watch for a few moments, then asked some questions.

I learned this old ticket booth, dating from 1886, has suffered pretty badly from rot and termites. A substantial portion of the structure must be replaced.

I was also told this ticket booth, back in the day before the Coronado Bridge opened, was located closer to the water, where ferries crossing San Diego Bay would land. The booth also stocked newspapers that were sold to ferryboat passengers.

If you’d like to learn a little more about the booth and see its historical plaque, you can read a past blog post here.

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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 Twitter!

Walking east from Broadway Pier before sunset.

Enjoy a dozen photographs I took late this afternoon, about an hour before sunset.

I started at Broadway Pier and walked east into the heart of downtown San Diego.

I always enjoy this time of day. Light is reflected from many windows, creating a magical effect.

Tall ship Exy Johnson, docked at the Broadway Pier, is visiting San Diego.

The buildings of the Research And Development District (RADD) are under construction where much of the old Navy Broadway Complex used to be.

Looking north along the Embarcadero. Those clouds are left over from our most recent storm.

Walking east down Broadway. Sunlight shines from the silvery Pacific Gate high-rise.

More late sunshine on the tops of downtown skyscrapers.

West Downtown San Diego is under construction in . . . west downtown San Diego!

I love reflections like these.

The late afternoon light is beautiful on the Balboa Theatre.

The watery dome of the Broadway Fountain shines with different colors like the scales of a fish.

A corridor of waning light downtown.

Another fine downtown walk.

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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 Twitter!

River park at SDSU Mission Valley takes form!

The new river park at SDSU Mission Valley is noticeably taking form. Particularly on the north side of the Stadium trolley station.

I got off the trolley near Snapdragon Stadium today and observed that many plants and trees have already been introduced to parts of the river park. My first batch of photos shows planted areas north of the elevated trolley tracks.

The large area south of the tracks still appears rather barren, but I’m sure that will be changing before too long! Last I read, SDSU Mission Valley’s new river park should be completed later this year.

I previously blogged that mile markers around a long looping path are being created by renowned local artist James Hubbell.

The following two renderings on a nearby construction fence are handy for comparison.

In the first rendering, that’s the north side of the park in the foreground. Note the interesting shade structure…

And here’s the river park’s south side, which will feature wide expanses of grass…

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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 Twitter!