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Rare San Diego False Fronts get some TLC
Whaley House Museum, Shop, & SOHO Offices remain open during work
May 2016
By Dean Glass
 We are excited to be in the next phase of the SOHO's master restoration plan for the Whaley House Complex, made possible by the County of San Diego. Work is being done primarily on the two c. 1870 false front buildings currently occupied by the New Orleans Creole Cafe, and the property's electrical system, which is being upgraded. Since April 11, much of this area has been fenced off and closed to visitors.
The façades and verandas of the false front buildings, which were relocated to the Whaley House grounds from downtown San Diego in 1964, will be reconstructed. The buildings will also get fresh coats of paint in historically accurate colors; new foundations; and a new, ADA-accessible restroom between them.
The Whaley House itself will also receive a paint job on the verandas and trim, as well as new shutters reproduced to match their original 1850s design. Landscape improvements, including a new lawn, will finish off this phase of the restoration.
The museum, the museum shop in the Verna House next door, and the SOHO offices in the Derby-Pendleton House will remain open normal hours during the restoration. We hope you will stop by to see the work in progress or the finished results in mid-June.
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