Granger Music Hall
1700 E. 4th Street, National City

SOHO and other preservationists, along with music lovers, have long advocated for a logical dream: relocating Granger Music Hall to nearby Pepper Park and restoring it under the Port of San Diego's stewardship, potentially in partnership with its owner, the City of National City. Despite the Port’s healthy budget and plans for elaborate new waterfront parks, officials have shown little interest in this early masterpiece by renowned San Diego architect Irving J.Gill, a genius with acoustics. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 1898 building represents an unfulfilled cultural, social, and entrepreneurial opportunity for National City, the South Bay, and all of San Diego.

Recently, community volunteers, along with City crews, took part in an exterior cleanup effort at Granger Music Hall, highlighting the need to address its neglected state. Last year, $100,000 was included in the proposed City budget for a feasibility study to assess the structure's integrity, potential for relocation, and restoration requirements. However, this crucial funding was removed by a majority of the City Council of National City, delaying the necessary evaluation that would lay the groundwork for securing funds to make this vision a reality.

Currently, the music hall remains vacant and boarded up, with a large rustic sign proclaiming its historic status while the hall itself stands silent. With no active preservation community in National City, we urge residents to keep SOHO informed about Granger Hall’s condition and any plans or developments concerning its future. SOHO continues to advocate for the feasibility study's reinstatement in the next budget and remains committed to relocating and rehabilitating the hall, so music can once again resonate from the acoustically perfect Granger Hall.

(Scroll to view more photos)

Courtesy Library of Congress

Current day photos by Sandé Lollis

2024

Continued and still threatened

• San Diego’s Historic Neighborhoods
• Vallecito Stage Station
• 2460 B Street Victorian
• San Diego's Historic Streetlights
• Presidio Park
• California Theatre & Caliente Racetrack Sign
• Barrett Ranch House
• Granger Music Hall
• Red Roost & Red Rest bungalows
• Big Stone Lodge

Moved to watch status

• Hillcrest Commercial Core
• Marine Corps Recruit Depot
• Kensington Pepper Trees
• Consolidated Aircraft/Old Town Campus NAVWAR

Saved

• Chase Bank

2023 | 2022 | 2021

2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016

2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Mailing - PO Box 80788 · San Diego CA 92138 | Offices - 3525 Seventh Avenue · San Diego CA 92103
Offices, Museums & Shops (619) 297-9327
Home | Contact