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California Theatre and Caliente Racetrack Sign
1122 4th Avenue, San Diego

The deteriorating California Theatre remains a Spanish Colonial Revival style landmark waiting for its new starring role in downtown San Diego life. The developer that bought the 1927 property near City Hall declared bankruptcy in 2022, before any work was done on it. SOHO had reached a preservation agreement on the architecture and Caliente Racetrack mural with the developer, terms that would convey to a new owner.

In April 2023, the City of San Diego filed suit against the Australia based developer and maintains the historic building is a safety hazard, eyesore, and illegal home to unsheltered people. The city wants San Diego´s Superior Court to declare the California Theatre a public nuisance and to order the owner to eliminate all hazardous conditions, or allow the city to do so at the owner´s expense. It´s no secret that the mayor favors demolition.

SOHO is working with private and public agencies to find a preservation solution for this storied venue and its former office tower. We are encouraging adaptive reuse of the once handsome, centrally located structure for the city’s overwhelming need for affordable housing.

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1950s. Photo courtesy San Diego History Center

Photos by Sandé Lollis, except where otherwise noted.

2024

Continued and still threatened

Moved to watch status

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Mailing - PO Box 80788 · San Diego CA 92138 | Offices - 3525 Seventh Avenue · San Diego CA 92103
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