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Reflections Quarterly Newsletter

July 2003 Volume 34, Issue 3

The Verna House to be Renovated!!

The Verna House, which houses SOHO's Museum Shop and Whaley House admissions, is going to be renovated. The c. 1870 Second Empire/Mansard was moved to the Whaley House complex in the 1960's to save it from demolition. There are only a handful of these homes left from this period, and the Verna is one of only four Mansards. Originally, it was only to be a temporary stay.

Through the years it was rented to various shopkeepers, most notably and for the longest period of time Ribbons Antiques. Still, the location was always considered temporary and the house was to be moved to another site. In 2001 SOHO became the new steward of the complex for the County of San Diego. The Verna House and two other important early storefront buildings were included in a settlement agreement made between the County and the Shrine Foundation. Now that the house has a permanent home, it is time to give it the attention it sorely needs.

The County, under the leadership and guidance of Jake Enriquez, Lynn Christenson and Matt Bohan, has procured funding to restore this early piece of San Diego's Victorian heritage. The County has many historic parks. For a complete list, go to www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks or find a link at sohosandiego.org. Also, you can always find a copy of the County's newsletter at the SOHO Museum Shop which list all of their parks and recreation sites.

The Verna is currently holding its own though dearly in need of attention. It is amazing, isn't it? After all, it is in the same condition as many of the homes and buildings that have been lost because they were in such poor shape and couldn't be saved."

Renovation plans for the Verna include the installation of a foundation and a new roof. The wood and windows will be repaired, and the house will be painted in its period colors. A piece of the original roof cresting will be replicated to crown this jewel of early San Diego.

With all this good news, there is a small price to pay for this extensive work to be done. The Shop will be closed for a maximum of six weeks beginning September 2 through Oct. 15th.

Well, this can only mean one thing: a SALE!! A big sale! To help defray our losses from being closed, a store-wide sale will be held throughout the entire month of August. Come help yourself to tremendous bargains and help us lighten the load of packing and moving all the inventory to storage. All items, books included, will be 20% off with selected items selling for as much as 50% off!

In October, stay tuned for a very grand re-opening party event.

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