Tag: history

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!

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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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Don, beloved Old Town donkey, passes away.

Don, a male donkey at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, passed away two weeks ago. The beloved animal is believed to have had a stroke. He leaves a second donkey, Dulce, by herself in the corral beside Seeley Stable.

I was very saddened to hear the news today during my walk through Old Town.

Don and Dulce have been loved by kids and families for many years in this California State Park. I first blogged about Don and Dulce almost nine years ago here. I took the above photograph of Don back then.

Don is believed to have been in his mid to late 30s. Dulce is a couple years younger. Both were rescued from the wild many years ago.

I was told Dulce cried and wouldn’t eat for some time after Don’s death. She was quietly eating when I came by today. The following three photographs are from today’s walk.

I asked several State Park employees: What will become of Dulce now that her companion is gone? From what I could gather, her future is presently undecided–she might go to an animal rescue organization, or might get a new companion donkey.

If I learn more in the future, I’ll be sure to blog it.

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Women’s History Month celebrated in Balboa Park!

It’s March, Women’s History Month!

Several walls inside the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park now feature an exhibit that chronicles the fight for women’s equality, highlighting successes by women in music, entertainment, art, and society at large. The exhibit makes use of informative displays that originally appeared in 2015 at the Women’s Museum of California.

Stories of trailblazers in the popular culture are told. In the 1960s and 70s, Helen Ready, Aretha Franklin, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Carole King and others filled the airwaves with music that related the experience of women and furthered their empowerment. In television, the advancement of women could be followed in shows like That Girl and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. With the 1968 television show Julia, Diahann Carroll become the first African-American leading actor on a sitcom.

As one sign explains: During the resurgence of the larger women’s movement in the 1960s and 70s, women artists, writers, choreographers, actors, filmmakers and playwrights sought to create a new dialogue between the viewer and their art through the inclusion of women’s perspective.

Other displays in the History Center concern the historic struggle for equal rights, including the women’s right to vote, as you can see in my photographs.

A couple years ago the Women’s Museum of California moved their archives and administrative offices from their old museum at Liberty Station into the San Diego History Center. Their presence has been online.

I’m told that in the future, a special gallery inside the History Center will be set aside for Women’s Museum of California exhibits.

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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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A giant Balboa Park tree’s tiny beginning!

The giant Moreton Bay Fig tree just north of the San Diego Natural History Museum was not always so huge!

Years before any of us were born, this historic tree was planted in Balboa Park for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Visitors to the exposition might have viewed the tiny tree in one of the flower beds in a large formal garden. The garden stretched north of the Southern California Counties Building, which was later replaced by the Natural History Museum–the building visible in the above photograph.

I’ve found two images which show the young tree in the formal garden. Arrows have been added to mark the position of the small tree.

The first image is from a sign located under today’s Moreton Bay Fig, next to the observation platform. The second image is an old photograph–one of many century-old Balboa Park photographs that I posted here.

Did you know Balboa Park’s immense Moreton Bay Fig has a sister tree in National City? See my blog post concerning that 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!

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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!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Exhibition of African American history in Coronado.

An exhibition now showing at The Coronado Historical Association‘s museum concerns the history of African Americans in Coronado. An Island Looks Back: Uncovering Coronado’s Hidden African American History is open free to the public and extremely enlightening.

Numerous old photographs and historical documents tell the story of how a few African Americans pioneers first came to Coronado in the late 19th century, and how their numbers would greatly increase beginning in 1944, because of the Federal Housing Project. The island had more than twice the African American population in 1960 than Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, La Mesa and Vista combined!

The exhibition features stories of families through many generations, telling of their struggles and triumphs.

Some of Coronado’s earliest African American pioneers migrated west looking for opportunity, following Elisha Babcock, who would develop the once-barren island and build the Hotel del Coronado. In its early years, Coronado was considered more accepting of African American residents and visitors than most San Diego neighborhoods.

Members of the segregated United States military would also settle in Coronado–Civil War veterans, Buffalo Soldiers, and veterans of the two World Wars.

The exhibition explains that many African Americans in those early years worked as maids, cooks, nurses, butlers, housekeepers, gardeners, laborers, coachmen and chauffeurs. The pay was low and life could be difficult–many residents of Coronado would persist in supporting segregation for decades. Surprisingly, Coronado’s local schools were integrated from the beginning.

Visitors to the museum will learn how African American graduates from Coronado High School during the Civil Rights Era went on to successful careers and achievements in the arts, military, private business, and government. That success in the community continues to this day.

If you ever find yourself in beautiful Coronado, head to the The Coronado Historical Association‘s free museum and experience An Island Looks Back: Uncovering Coronado’s Hidden African American History.

You will be inspired by the life stories and accomplishments of African Americans who’ve called Coronado home.

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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 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.

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Balboa Theatre centennial: A salute to San Diego military!

The Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego is celebrating its centennial. The old vaudeville/movie theatre opened in 1924, survived a threatened demolition, and has experienced a beautiful restoration. Today the Balboa Theatre is a popular concert and event venue whose splendid interior and pipe organ recalls what entertainment was like in San Diego a century ago.

I’ve learned a special event is coming on Friday, March 29, that honors both the historic theater’s centennial and San Diego’s military. The Flying Fleet, a silent movie released in 1929, will be returning to life, accompanied by the Wonder Morton theatre pipe organ played by Ken Double.

Much of The Flying Fleet was filmed in San Diego. Scenes depict two love smitten pilots training at Naval Air Station North Island. The romantic drama includes action from the United States Navy’s first aircraft carrier USS Langley! You might consider The Flying Fleet a melodramatic prequel to Top Gun!

Is your budget feeling stressed? Tickets are a whopping $3.50!

Interested in learning more? Click 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 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:

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

San Diego Stadium lights become art at Snapdragon!

Some very unusual art is installed in a concourse at Snapdragon Stadium. An array of 24 stadium lights has been mounted to one wall. Color changes at the center of each individual silvery floodlight. Over all are the words: San Diego.

When I attended a recent event at Snapdragon, I asked a knowledgeable employee who was working nearby about this art. I learned the old floodlights are from the demolished San Diego Stadium (aka Jack Murphy Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, SDCCU Stadium), which stood on this same property in Mission Valley from 1967 to 2021.

Cool idea!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!