Save Our Heritage Organisation
Magazine
SOHO Receives Special Recognition
At the annual Governor's Historic Preservation awards in Sacramento on November 17, SOHO was honored with a resolution of commendation for our work during and after the recent wildfires. We greatly appreciate the acknowledgment and were honored to be included with so many worthy preservation projects from across the state. It was also nice to be able to be there to acknowledge past SOHO president David Marshall of Heritage Architecture and the San Diego Padres as they were awarded the Governor's award for the rehabilitation of the Western Metal Supply building.
The Recent Wildfires
It is most important to acknowledge and thank the people who were involved with getting the word out and helping us to survey and list historic resources throughout the county and who acted quickly to take whatever steps were necessary.
Sandé Lollis, our Webmaster, was on an around the clock schedule with staff, posting breaking information and photos online as quickly as possible. Sandé's work was an invaluable part of this effort; she recognized the importance of first responder status in which we found ourselves and never faltered in the emotional and exhausting first few days and nights of the fires.
California State Historic Preservation Officer Milford Wayne Donaldson and the Office of Historic Preservation responded immediately as well, and covered all fires in the state, including San Diego. Wayne corresponded with Bruce daily and visited the fire-damaged sites several times to assesses damage and provide technical and funding assistance with recovery efforts.
Lynne Newel Christenson, County Historian and Archeologist, provided site status information and led the county's archeology teams in the after fire assessments of county owned sites. We always count on Lynne as a strong partner in preservation.As County Historian, she is always ready to assist and help wherever she can, and we don't often get a chance to publicly thank her.
City of San Diego Historical Resources Board Senior Planner Cathy Winterrowd and her staff handled assessments for city owned sites with City of San Diego Water Department Associate Planner, Nicole McGinnis, assisting with review of San Pasqual and Pamo Valley sites.
Christopher Pro, past BOD member drove SOHO assessment teams in his 4 wheel drive for several days. Another past BOD member, Tim Rudolf provided his plane and pilot and took Bruce Coons and a local journalist up to survey the areas that we were unable to get to in any other way. We would be remiss if we didn't mention reporter Spencer Washburn of Channel 8 News who was able to report from the Montecito Adobe that this boarded up old building really was in his words "an irreplaceable treasure," and the fire suppression teams of the USMC on Camp Pendleton who successfully responded to the threat at the Las Flores adobe.
SHPO Milford Wayne Donaldson and County Historian Lynne Newell Christenson assess the 1880's Montecito adobe in Ramona.
Other projects were put on hold while we focused all efforts on alerting the necessary agencies to resources in danger, providing information to our membership, the public and to private and public agencies. I am proud of our efforts and of our organization's ability to take on whatever comes our way.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Western Region is helping to defray our cost with a $2,500 donation and we are working with the San Diego Foundation in hopes that they can find funding assistance to proceed with the necessary stabilization/restoration survey of County historic resources and disaster protection for the resources that were spared.Historic Preservation Ordinance for the City of El Cajon
There are a lot of positive actions taking place around the city and county. One such piece of good news is that after nearly three years of collaboration between ECHS and the city of El Cajon, the Planning Commission recommended adoption of, and the City Council approved, a Historic Preservation Ordinance for the City of El Cajon.
Balboa Theater opens!
Downtown's Balboa Theatre will be reopening in January 2008. The historic 1924-movie palace will once again be a vital part of the city.
CCDC states that their "commitment to the restoration of the Balboa Theatre and to the creation of a true theater district downtown will be a key component in downtown San Diego's continued revitalization."
Some of you probably remember when SOHO held our People In Preservation Awards in the closed and derelict theater. SOHO was heavily involved in raising awareness to its plight and this was one way to show that people wanted to experience this fabulous building even if it meant sitting in the debris in their evening wear. That was almost 10 years ago and we announced at that time the theater was soon to be restored! It took a while longer than expected, but it's finally happened and we are thrilled. We hope to have a SOHO event there once again soon. We commend CCDC highly and look forward to recognizing them publicly.
The SOHO Board of Directors
One of the keys to SOHO's great success is that we have such an active and diverse board of directors. Our board truly enjoys building this organization together and commits their time at the very least to the monthly duties of governance of the organization. Each board member sits on at least one committee and volunteers at events throughout the year. It goes well beyond that. We have at the table some of the region's most knowledgeable historians and some of the most experienced advocates.We go to each member for help, guidance and their time whenever necessary and without hesitation because we know we can count on them. It is a talented board on so many levels, and what is especially telling it that it doesn't end with their term. What you will continually see in this publication and in other SOHO publications is that both present and past board members contribute with writing or loaning their collections for visual content. One of the big reasons staff is able to accomplish so much is because of the strength of its board. I think we are somewhat unique in this area and I thought as a member you would like to know this and share in our pride.
Events & Education News & Volunteer Openings
The SOHO Annual Historic Home Tour Weekend - March 14-16
Mark your calendar now. The SOHO Annual Historic Home Tour Weekend will be the third weekend in March. We are designing this event based on all of the feedback we received from attendees of last year's event. The overwhelming consensus was that there was just too much to do, after all we had three home tours in three days, along with several additional architectural tours, two parties, seven lectures, the Show & Sale and the trailer exhibition. Wow, I would have to agree that there was too much. You also told us what you liked most and what you were not as interested in, so we have designed the 2008 weekend with this in mind.
By demand, we are offering even more small exclusive tours, and we are expanding last year's sold out Bungalow Court and Ft. Rosecrans tours. New tours will include a Tiki tour, which will combine the tour with a lecture and cocktail hour, and a Historic Tile tour and lecture. We will add to the lecture series a most requested topic, which is an Ask the Experts panel for homeowners; this will be all Q&A with San Diego's foremost historic house experts. Sunday will culminate the weekend with the showcasing of five spectacular homes in two beautiful neighborhoods.
The Show & Sale will not be held, but your favorite vendors will still be able to be found in the advertising section of the program. The SOHO Museum Shop and book sale will be present as San Diego's number one historic architectural book resource, as will the popular silent auction. We are accepting donations for the auction now; please call the office if you have an item or service you wish to contribute.
Event headquarters will be centered at SOHO's office and museum complex in Old Town, where there is plenty of free parking and easy access to all freeways and transit centers.
This will be a terrific weekend and as always we depend on volunteers to make it possible. We simply cannot do the tours without your help. Please contact the office as soon as possible to let us know your availability.
NOTE! Every year the limited attendance tours sell out. One of the benefits you receive as a member of SOHO is the opportunity to sign up early for tours, before notice goes out to the public. So, if you want to go on a tour, register with the first email or notice by mail that you receive announcing the schedule and avoid disappointment. Last year the Ft. Rosecrans tour sold out within one hour of the San Diego Union Tribune's story on it, and the Bungalow Court tour within two days although it was year three for this popular tour, and some members were unhappy, which makes us unhappy! However, members have pre-notice, so this year even though both of these tours have been expanded they are still extremely limited, so sign up at first notice.
Modernism Meetings, looking for a few good modernists!
SOHO has been the advocacy leader for the preservation of modern architecture in the San Diego region. Currently we have a great group of modernists who have been holding down the fort for the last four years and they are looking for some new faces and fresh energy to come on board and help them to continue the work and goals that SOHO has set forth. SOHO board member John Eisenhart is the 2008 chairman and you can contact him through the office via email at john.eisenhart@sohosandiego.org. A lot of fun events are being planned along with essential advocacy work, so please join SOHO's MODCOM today!
2008 Winter holiday Las Posadas and Pastorela committee forming now
In 2006 SOHO was asked to take over a longtime Old Town San Diego tradition, Las Posadas. One day a gentleman came in to our office and explained that after having pursued all other avenues he needed help and that "I understand you folks save things." Well, what could we say to that, except, you came to the right place, that's exactly what we do! We began to research this pageant and learned that it had been a part of the cultural makeup of Old Town for over 150 years, off and on. We were shocked at the possibility of such an important piece of San Diego's cultural heritage being abandoned. We decided to not only help but to adopt it and with the help of Larry Bevers, the man who first came to us and who has been organizing the event for over 17 years, and with expertise from board member Welton Jones, who knows a thing or two about productions, we began an exciting chapter of preserving cultural historic traditions along with the buildings and landscapes that are so intimately tied together. Teaching a sense of place brings people closer and more involved to the importance of preserving historic places. Las Posadas is a part of the authentic history of our city and we want to develop it back into its rightful place as an integral part of San Diego's holiday season tradition.
Emily N. Merchant, part of a trio that performed a Pastorela concert in the Adobe Chapel during Fiesta Navidad
It was a success that first year but is the kind of event that truly takes the whole community to make happen. That is why this 2007 holiday season we gathered the Old Town community together in an inter-organizational partnership to bring a new tradition to San Diego that encompassed all of the historic traditions of both 19th and 20th century into a weekend event called Fiesta Navidad. Planning for a two-day Las Posadas and Fiesta Navidad in 2008 will begin in February, with the emphasis on simplicity and bringing a historic holiday tradition back in a non-commercial community oriented event with music, historic tours and holiday ambiance. We are looking for people who are interested in developing this event with our partners, the State and County parks, Historic Old Town Community Foundation (HOTCF) and the Old Town Chamber of Commerce. If you love the winter holiday season, be it Christmas, Chanukah or otherwise and are interested in creating a multi-cultural event celebrating San Diego's history please contact us at sohosandiego@aol.com and get involved now. Meetings will begin in February.
Zidlochovice Children Choir Skrivanek (Skylark) from the Czech Republic performed in the Adobe Chapel to a standing room only crowd on their first American tour.
People In Preservation
nominations being sought for 2008 Awards
Early reminder that PIP will be upon us soon enough and it's never too early to nominate a worthy individual or project.
1. Click HERE for a nomination form;
2. Save it to your desktop;
3. Fill it out on your computer;
4. Email it to sohosandiego@aol.com, or call (619) 297-9327 to request that we mail you a hard copy.
A Holistic Approach to Protecting the Cultural & Natural Resources
New Report Available
"Expanding the Cultural Conservation Toolbox: New Partnerships and Strategies" was funded by a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) and San Diego's Save Our Heritage Organisation to de-mystify cultural resources preservation and give land trusts strategies to provide long-term natural and cultural resource protection for their projects. The report describes the issues and actions that can be brought into play to protect cultural resources concurrently while also protecting natural resources. The report shows how protecting cultural resources can strengthen land conservation projects including bringing new financial and legal resources to a transaction.
Prepared by an archaeologist and a land conservation broker, the document outlines general and legal actions that can be used to protect cultural resources and defines the terms and concepts familiar to historians but unfamiliar to many whose conservation focus is natural resources. The authors highlight issues that can occur when land trusts transition their lands to public agencies and suggest the use of deed restrictions, easements and other tools to permanently protect cultural and natural resources.
El Camino Real bell
The report presents case studies where protecting cultural resources helped expand and strengthen a natural resources preservation project. The 45-page report is available as a PDF at http://www.landconserve.com/news.htm
Correction
SOHO Founder Robert Miles Parker wrote about the drawing of the Broadway fountain on page 32 of our Spring 2007 issue, which we incorrectly attributed to him. "...I don't think I did the Plaza drawing. I think the drawing is [former SOHO President Bruce Kamerling's] - I never drew flying birds." Sorry, Miles! Thanks for the correction.
More from this issue
- From the Editor
By Alana Coons- Reconstructing Balboa Park's "Dream City"
By Mike Kelly- Names & Milestones in the History of Prado Buildings
Compiled by Mike Kelly- 10 Vanished Balboa Park Landmarks
By David Marshall- Historic Losses: Fires Devastate San Diego County's Historic sites
By Bruce Coons- California Tile: Our Claim to Tile Fame
By Alana Coons- The Use of Tile in the Home
By Alana Coons- Tile Resources
Compiled by Alana Coons- President's Message
By Michael J. Kravcar- Reflections
- In Memoriam - Beth Montes
- The Beth Montes Memorial Internship and Outreach Fund
- Strength in Numbers - Membership
- Annual Report of Financial Standing
- Book Reviews
By Erik Hanson- Letters to the Editor
- Lost San Diego
Copyright ©2007, Save Our Heritage Organisation. Copyright Warning
