The Hall of Nations building at Balboa Park’s International Cottages is in the process of being restored. The City of San Diego has repaired much of the water-damaged exterior of the historical building, and some painting is underway.
Last year I noted how sections of stucco had fallen off. I later learned that–thank goodness–the damage wasn’t as severe as it might have been.
The Hall of Nations building was constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Back then it was the Kansas State building and housed exhibits and events representing the state of Kansas.
It’s good to see the city taking care of San Diego’s crown jewel Balboa Park. It appears to me more work in various places around the park needs to be done!
Thank you!
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At the southeast edge of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park stands a building with a very interesting history. Beginning in 1908 as St. Joseph’s Rectory in downtown San Diego, it was moved to Old Town in 1940 where it became Old Town Convent.
Today, Historic Tours of America (Old Town Trolley Tours) operates a gift shop inside. The building contains one part of their Old Town Market, along with the adjacent Casa De Aguirre and Carriage House. The second floor is home to a Visitor Center operated by the Old Town Chamber of Commerce.
This website explains: Originally built as the Saint Joseph’s rectory at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Beech Street in downtown, the building was moved through the streets to Old Town San Diego in 1940. Once in Old Town San Diego, the building was a seminary, convent, community center, and, during World War II, it was a USO. The building was restored in 2003 by Historic Tours of America and is registered as San Diego Historical Site Number 323.
The photos I’ve included were taken at various times over recent years.
Visitors who walk through the front entrance will discover a display that tells The Story of The Old Town Convent, in the words of Sister Catherine Louise LaCoste in the early 1980s…
…a three-story edifice known today as the Convent of the Community of the Holy Spirit… The Convent soon became the permanent quarters for the first diocesan junior seminary, called St. Francis, when eight young men moved in on November 3, 1941… Plaster soon covered the wooden structure…
…During World War II, in 1942, a group of soldiers was quartered in the basement. They prepared meals for the anti-aircraft and searchlight batteries located in the area…
…the Religious of the Sacred Heart came to San Diego to open a College for Women, now known as the University of San Diego. The sisters were given the building to use as a rent-free convent that they called St. Madeleine Sophie Barat…
In front of the building is a sign that shows a timeline of Old Town’s history. It includes this:
Curious visitors might spy this interesting plaque on one wall, too…
This exhibit exposes the original redwood clapboard siding of the Convent when it was St. Joseph’s Rectory, built in 1908. The Craftsman-style structure also featured wood shingle siding on the upper stories. When the three-story building was moved to this site in 1940 it was surfaced with stucco and painted to match the exterior of the Immaculate Conception Church across the street.
One other plaque I’ve found…
Old Town Convent Preservation
The restoration and preservation of the Old Town Convent was made possible largely due to the efforts of Carmen and Joe Toigo, Old Town residents, who by their tireless actions and advocacy saved this building from destruction.
May 2003 Historic Tours of America, Inc.
The adjacent Casa de Aguirre, with its own unique history, contains a small, little-known museum that might interest you. You can find a blog post I published about it by clicking here.
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Most visitors to Balboa Park never see this historical building. It’s situated in the southwest corner of the park, in an area called Marston Point. People who drive to the south end of Balboa Drive will see the building sitting alone behind a fence.
There’s a reason the Fire Alarm Building sits safely in isolation on a bluff overlooking downtown. When it operated between 1928 and 1970, it was the hub where signals telegraphed from the city’s many fire boxes were received, and communications made to appropriate fire stations.
The Fire Alarm Building was built in 1927. It was designed in the Spanish Colonial style by architect Robert Snyder. Snyder often collaborated with his partner William Templeton Johnson, who a year earlier designed the San Diego Fine Arts Museum, near the center of Balboa Park.
In 1928, to equip the Fire Alarm Building, the City of San Diego purchased over $20,000 worth of fire alarm communications equipment from the Gamewell Company of Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts… There were three rows of tape-punching telegraph registers arranged on marble-topped tables. They were linked to the city’s fire alarm and police alarm boxes… A coded signal locating the particular alarm box was punched onto the register’s tape readout. The operator then read the coded message and set up the location of the alarm box on a master transmitter and sent a signal to all of the fire department’s fire engine stations throughout the city, ringing bells and turning on station lights. When selective transmissions were later installed, only those stations within the area of the fire would receive the alarm. This was affectionately known as the “silent night” program by grateful firefighters.
Today, the Fire Alarm Building is home to San Diego’s Park & Recreation Department Administrative Services section. Peer through the fence and you’ll see the handsome Spanish Colonial inspired entrance and a beautiful little garden area.
I took these photographs during many walks through Marston Point. They’ve been sitting in a computer folder. Time to share them!
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In my previous blog post, I shared photos of a colorful fair mural at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It decorates one side of the long tunnel under the horse racing track. The tunnel connects the Grandstand with the infield.
Now I’ll share photographs of the mural that decorates the tunnel’s opposite side. Also painted by artist Tom Fagan, it depicts the history of horse racing at the racetrack!
The Del Mar Racetrack was added to the fairgrounds in 1936 by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Founding member Bing Crosby led the effort. You know, he who famously sings “Where the turf meets the surf down at old Del Mar. Take a plane, take a train, take a car. There is a smile on every face and a winner in each race…”
Back in the day, Hollywood movie stars and celebrities would flock to the races, including frequent visitor and avid horseplayer Jimmy Durante. The mural shows some of that.
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A long tunnel at the Del Mar Fairgrounds allows visitors to walk under the race track, from the Grandstand to the infield. Those attending the San Diego County Fair often use it to walk from the Fun Zone to Family Funville.
Two very different murals cover the tunnel walls, one on either side. The first depicts fair activity through the years. The second, which I’ll cover in my next blog post, depicts horse racing at the fairground. According to various signatures, both long murals were painted by artist Tom Fagan over the course of several years.
The painted side you’ll see in this blog post show activities at the fair during its rich history. There are carnival rides, farm animals, garden shows, entertainment, food and fun!
After beginning in 1880, the fair moved to the Del Mar Fairgrounds in 1936 where it has been known at various times as the San Diego County Fair, the Southern California Exposition, and the Del Mar Fair.
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You never know what cool sight you’ll find by just walking around randomly. This morning I spotted a bit of the Hotel del Coronado in Solana Beach!
Several old Douglas fir wood beams from the 1800s have been incorporated into the entrance of Rustic Root in Solana Beach. The old wood is from a construction project at the historic Hotel del Coronado. The salvaged wood was repurposed by Old Fashioned Lumber.
I once visited Old Fashioned Lumber in Barrio Logan. See those cool photos here!
This picturesque building stands in downtown San Diego’s historic Chinatown, the Asian Pacific Thematic Historic District. It’s the 1911 Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association building.
According to this webpage : The building site at 428 Third Avenue has an association with the Chinese community going back to the early days of Chinatown. In 1883 the land and structures were removed and a Taoist temple was built. On 1880’s Sanborn maps, this building was constructed and occupied by the Gee Goon Tong (Chee Kung Tong), known for helping to plot Dr. Sun Yet-Sens’s revolution and founding of the Republic of China.
Curious? Follow the above link for much more history.
A historical plaque near the entrance is now barely readable…
The original tenants of the two-story, Oriental theme structure were the Gee Goon Tong, famous for their help in plotting the 1912 revolution, which formed the Republic of China. The Benevolent Society was founded in 1920 as an outgrowth of the Tong, to serve the Chinese community.
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I absolutely love this exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art!
Local artists have reimagined the Spanish Colonial Revival façade of the museum, an iconic landmark in the heart of Balboa Park.
The exhibition in Gallery 6 is titled Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade. What a perfect way to help celebrate the SDMA Centennial! The art is on view through July 26, 2026.
Perhaps you recognize some of these names. I personally recall photographing street art created by two of the artists. To see art that Hilary Dufour painted in Pacific Beach, click here. To see the distinctive art of Mary Jhun all around San Diego, click here.
Here are a few examples of the San Diego Museum of Art’s reimagined façade…
Sunday in Balboa Park, by artist Annie Holley.SDMA 100, by artist Brandon Palma.Golden Hour at The San Diego Museum of Art, by artist Stefanie Bales.The Spaces Between, by artist Hilary Dufour.Genius Loci: The Spirit of a Place, by artist Mary Jhun.Colors: Reimagining the Façade with Color, by artist Susan Stone.
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A special Flag Day Celebration is coming up on June 6, 2026 in Old Town San Diego. What makes it special? This year is the 250th birthday of the United States of America!
The “Legacy of Liberty” ceremony will be held at 5:00 pm at the Mormon Battalion Historic Site at 2510 Juan Street.
I went to the Mormon Battalion’s patriotic Flag Day event last year and it was quite moving. There was stirring music and deserving honorees were recognized. Should you go, you’ll likely see participants in colonial uniforms and attire, much red, white and blue, and plenty of smiles.
Everyone is welcome to attend!
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I’ve always admired the elaborate stained glass windows of the building that now houses the Mad House Comedy Club & Restaurant. They appear to be antique.
Well, I paused during a walk to read the building’s historical plaque and learned these stained glass windows along Fourth Avenue are original and date from 1906. Back then the bottom floor of this, the Ingle Building, was home to the Golden Lion Tavern.
The historical plaque reads:
For many years, the bottom floor of this building was known as the Golden Lion Tavern, its legacy still evident in the original lion sculptures near the entrance and along the outer walls. The stained glass windows on Fourth Avenue and some of the flooring are original as well. In 1980, the second floor was destroyed by fire. During its reconstruction, a salvaged glass dome, originally created for the Elks Club in San Francisco in 1906, was installed. The replicated mural on the outer wall depicts the camaraderie found in the Golden Lion during the early years of the Gaslamp Quarter.
During that recent morning walk, when the comedy club was closed, I saw no evidence of lions or a mural concerning the early years of the Gaslamp. There is an outside mural that remains from those years when the building was home to the Hard Rock Cafe.
One day I’ll have to venture inside and look around.
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