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SOHO President's Message
By David W. Goldberg
March/April 2021
 Photo by Sandé Lollis |
When I joined SOHO in 1979, preservation seemed much simpler. The primary focus was on saving the dwindling number of late 19th-century Victorians. Then we became concerned that many Mission Revival, Craftsman, and Spanish style buildings constructed during the first three decades of the 20th century were being lost. Fast forward to when SOHO was one of the first preservation groups in the nation to embrace mid-century modernism.
Since then, preservation has evolved from a "fringe activity" into a movement that through the protection of architectural resources and cultural heritage has played a pivotal role in the economic revitalization of many older parts of San Diego. The results have been transformative: historic areas once shunned are now destinations and some of the most desirable places to live and work in the city. Yet the road forward has not been without its twists.
A case in point is SOHO's 20-year stewardship of the 1857 Greek Revival Whaley House in Old Town. When SOHO took over operations in 2000, the complex was dilapidated and rarely open to the public. The grounds were overgrown and unkempt, the buildings in disrepair, and the house sparsely furnished.
Drawing upon decades of institutional knowledge and an extensive network of members and volunteers, adherence to the best practices of historic preservation and museum operation, and the investment of millions of dollars, SOHO, working with the County of San Diego, the owner, transformed the property into one of the best and most popular house museums in the country.
Under SOHO, the Whaley House become a community resource, an international attraction, and a source of local pride. The ancillary benefits were also quite significant. By bringing more people into Old Town, surrounding businesses benefited and the neighborhood improved.
SOHO's management of the Whaley House site was so successful that it attracted the attention of a commercial, for-profit national corporation which submitted a bid for the lease. Although SOHO submitted a strong proposal that reaffirmed our track record, it was not chosen for contract negotiation.
We are deeply concerned that a for-profit corporation is not the best fit for managing a historic house museum. A not-for-profit such as SOHO uses all of its assets to advance its mission, whereas a for-profit corporation ultimately must provide a financial return to its investors, and therein lies a huge conflict. Our goal, on the other hand, is singular: to do what is best for the resource, and by extension, the community. We continue to monitor the situation with the County.
On a lighter note, I recently learned we have a sister organization in the United Kingdom: the Soho Society. Soho is a section of London approximately one square mile in size that dates to 1536 when the area was developed from farmland by Henry VIII. The Soho Society shares many of our core values and concerns, and had it not been for their efforts Soho's built environment dating back hundreds of years would all have been bulldozed in 1974. Sound familiar?
Not long ago, I spoke with their honorary president, Leslie Hardcastle. It was wonderful talking to a kindred spirit, and I'm sure we could have chatted for hours. Common concerns include inappropriate development, the importance of sense of place, and the ongoing need to educate and advocate. Be sure to check out their website https://www.thesohosociety.org.uk and radio broadcasts at https://www.thesohosociety.org.uk/soho-radio.
Please get COVID-19 vaccinated when it's your turn so we can again go outside, see one another, and enjoy our beautiful and historic city.
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