Tag: design

Sensuous Environment at the San Diego History Center.

A new exhibit recently opened at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. It’s titled The Sensuous Environment – Sim Bruce Richards, Architect.

San Diego architect Sim Bruce Richards is best known for designing houses that appeal not only to the eyes, but to other human senses as well. The museum exhibit, with its many photographs and drawings, celebrates the unique vision of an architect whose creations feel both rustic and modern. It’s an aesthetic that appeals to an essential human connection with nature.

His houses are truly homes. They are warm and welcoming. They contain natural, textured materials that are pleasant to the senses, like stone, adobe, and beautiful woods, including mahogany, redwood and aromatic cedar. Fireplaces are centerpieces where life gathers. Natural outdoor light shines through large windows. As one display explains: Richards took inspiration from his Cherokee heritage, his apprenticeship with Frank Lloyd Wright, and fondness for the work of San Diegan Irving Gill and other early twentieth century architects…

Reading the fascinating displays, I learned he often collaborated with noted San Diego artist James Hubbell.

Richards also designed commercial and church buildings using the same aesthetic. Did you know the Morley Field Tennis Club building in Balboa Park was one of his projects?

Beautifully inviting furniture that he designed is also part of the exhibit.

The Sensuous Environment – Sim Bruce Richards, Architect presents material from the archives of the San Diego History Center and UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Architecture and Design Museum.

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Famous fashion inspires San Diego students!

Fashion designer Arnold Scaasi created elegant gowns for many First Ladies and famous movie stars.

What happens when four Scasssi dresses inspire San Diego Mesa College fashion students?

You end up with four unique new creations, now on display at the San Diego History Center!

Visitors to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park are encouraged to examine contrasted garments during the museum’s just-opened Fashion Redux 2023 exhibition.

Dresses by Arnold Scaasi in the museum’s collection represent the Glam 1980s. The four fashion students got a good look at them and, recalling that decade of printed blouses and big hair, were inspired to produce clothing that is similar, but new! Bold color and padded shoulders, anyone?

The Mesa College students whose artistry is on display are Ramses Alfaro Mendoza, Leo Cotton, Eddie Villarreal and Robbie Matawaran.

Here are the Scassi dresses…

And here are the inspired new creations…

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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!

Horton Plaza model at San Diego History Center.

Little remains of the colorful old Horton Plaza shopping mall in downtown San Diego.

Shoppers who once wandered through the creatively designed complex, which debuted back in 1985, might enjoy heading over to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. There’s a great scale model of Horton Plaza now on display!

Living downtown for over two decades, I’ve used my camera to document various developments in and around Horton Plaza during my walks. Most recently, I took photos of how the whimsical, touristy shopping mall is being redeveloped into a mixed-use technology and biotech campus called Horton. You can see those photos here.

The display of the Horton Plaza model at the San Diego History Center coincides with their newly opened Fashion Redux 2023 exhibition. Fashion students from Mesa College viewed garments in the History Center’s textile collection dating from the “Glam 1980s” and were inspired to create their own bold clothing. I’ll be blogging about that soon!

Horton Plaza Model. Metal, paperboard, plastic, wood. Gift of H.S.D./Horton Associates.

Commissioned by the Hahn Company, the model was built to illustrate and “sell” the Jon Jerde Group’s design of Horton Plaza to the public.

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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!

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World record bridge spans Lake Hodges!

Did you know there’s a world record bridge in San Diego’s North County?

The David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge is the longest stress ribbon bridge in the world!

You’ve possibly seen the 990 foot long bridge when driving up Interstate 15 next to Lake Hodges. I walked across the remarkable bridge yesterday and noticed several information signs describing its history and unique characteristics.

The San Dieguito River travels 55 miles to the Pacific Ocean. In 1918 this section of the river was dammed creating the reservoir Lake Hodges, which has 27 miles of shoreline. The watershed of Lake Hodges covers 248 square miles.

Lake Hodges was designated a Globally Important Birding Area in 1999.

(When I was a young man, I fished with a friend for bass in Lake Hodges.)

Historic old U.S. Highway 395 became a wide hiking trail that passes by these signs.

Several bridges have spanned the water over the past century, including a wooden pile bridge near Mule Hill that was washed away after the creation of Lake Hodges.

Pictured in the above sign is the Bernardo-Lake Hodges Station Bridge in 1919. It was demolished when a nearby 1955 bridge was replaced by the dual bridges that serve Interstate 15 today.

The David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge opened in 2009.

The world record bridge’s design features a long thin ribbon of concrete that produces low visual impact. Enlarge my photo of the above sign to read details of the stress ribbon bridge’s construction.

The bridge provides an elegantly simple passage through the beauty of the lake and its trees.

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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!

A famous architect and history in National City.

A very important architectural treasure stands in National City.

Granger Hall, built in 1898, was designed by a world-famous architect. The building can be spotted on East 4th Street near the base of the big electronic National City sign that rises next to Interstate 805.

I learned about Granger Hall when I read a Wikipedia article concerning Irving Gill, who is considered a pioneer of the modern movement in architecture. Twelve of his buildings throughout Southern California are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Granger Hall is such an important masterpiece that it has a full Wikipedia page. The hall was built in 1898 as an “acoustically perfect” music auditorium addition to a smaller music room in the Paradise Valley estate of Ralph Granger. Granger made a fortune in the “Last Chance” silver mine in Colorado during the 1890s. The building, moved later, has also been known as Granger Music Hall. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975… The acoustic properties include a design having no parallel walls or surfaces, including having the floor slope slightly forward and the ceiling and walls having “a slight canter”…

Well, I had to go check it out!

During my last walk through National City, I spied old Granger Hall behind a fence, apparently neglected and obviously deteriorating.

With my naked eye it was possible to see how the lines of the uniquely designed building aren’t exactly parallel. I could also see how, in its heyday, the music hall must have been glorious.

The Save Our Heritage Organisation has proposed having the building moved to Pepper Park and renovating it, so music can once again be heard from the acoustically perfect Granger Music Hall. On this SOHO web page you can view an old photograph of the hall’s elegant interior.

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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!

Old Spaghetti Factory and a famous architect.

Over the decades, countless diners have enjoyed meals at downtown San Diego’s beloved Old Spaghetti Factory. I remember eating here back in the 1980s!

Did you know the Old Spaghetti Factory’s beautiful brick building was designed by a world-famous architect?

The Buel-Town Building dates from the late 19th century. Its principal designer was internationally renowned architect Irving Gill, considered a pioneer of the modern movement in architecture. It’s one of his earliest projects.

To see a list of Irving Gill’s other works in San Diego and Southern California, visit his Wikipedia page here.

The Buel-Town Building, 1898.

With its arched corner entrance, bay window, and corbelled brick cornice, this building reflects the originality of the architects Hebbard and Gill. Gill, the principal designer, had a preference for natural forms, over the highly ornate European styles common of his era. This is evident in this structure, which was one of his earliest works. After serving tenants such as the Western Metal Company and Buel-Town Chemicals, the building was converted for use as The Old Spaghetti Factory Restaurant in 1974.

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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!

NASA Student Launch team in Balboa Park!

Participants in the NASA Student Launch rocket project were greeting visitors to Balboa Park today!

The NASA Student Launch Initiative is a competitive, experimental challenge where student teams design, build and launch rockets, then analyze the results.

The challenge for 2023 is to design a rocket that will reach 5000 feet. The rocket must autonomously receive NASA’s radio frequency transmissions, commanding a maneuverable camera.

The students also get to meet NASA engineers to present their findings!

Team Hydra, from MATHmania Robotics, with members from around Southern California, were in Balboa Park demonstrating how the rockets they’ve designed work. Why? Participants in NASA Student Launch are also tasked with STEM education.

Kids passing by were instantly drawn to the big rockets and were eager to learn all about them!

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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!

Ukraine peace poster exhibition in San Diego.

An exhibition of posters concerning the war in Ukraine is presently on view in downtown San Diego. I viewed the collection of posters today in the second floor art gallery at UC San Diego Park & Market.

These moving, thought-provoking, sometimes chilling posters are presented by AIGA San Diego Tijuana. The Graphis: Designers for Peace Poster Exhibition brings together juried posters from around the world.

The free exhibition is also working to raise funds to aid the devastated people of Ukraine.

I don’t know how much longer these posters will be displayed, so you might want to head downtown to UCSD’s presence at Park & Market and view them soon.

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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!

Playing with design at the Mingei!

A super fun and enjoyable exhibit is now on display at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park!

Toying with Design intentionally coincides with San Diego Design Week 2022, which concludes today. Fortunately, however, this very unique exhibit will continue on until February 2023.

So what will visitors to one corner of the Mingei’s upstairs gallery see? Lots of clever designs! Including all sorts of inspired designs that make common functional household items as playful as toys!

I particularly enjoyed how ordinary kitchen utensils were creatively infused with surprising humor!

Check it out!

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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!

Architecture delights eyes at Linda Vista library.

I took these photographs of the Linda Vista Library earlier this year. It’s about time I shared them!

Look at the fascinating architecture of this very unique building. Like many projects that were designed by local architect Rob Wellington Quigley, the geometry one encounters is unexpected and complex.

Eyes wandering over the varied exterior make delightful discoveries. Then you walk through the door into the light filled interior with its many angled beams and become even more amazed!

San Diego’s current Linda Vista Branch Library opened in 1987. When I took these photos, the green trees at the front entrance obscured some of the building. But the essential beauty of the design comes through.

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