In March 2022, the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board (HRB) designated one new resource that is especially significant in the LGBTQ+ community. They also made recommendations to the Planning Commission about the relocation of the Andrew Cassidy Home (HRB Site 283) (pictured second from left below), at 1620 Union Street in Little Italy, to 2642-2648 Newton Avenue in Barrio Logan. The board recommended the following mitigation measures for the 1888 Queen Anne style cottage: Historic American Building Survey (HABS) documentation, and treatment and monitoring plans, which include restoration at the new site. The HRB also recommended placing interpretive signage on Union Street to commemorate the five intact examples of Victorian architecture that were there at the time of designation.

Additionally, we learned that Mayor Todd Gloria issued a memo in March 2022 naming five new appointees and two who are being reappointed to the HRB, an action that requires City Council approval. Read Mayor Gloria’s memo HERE.

See an update in this issue of eNews regarding HRB appointees New Appointees to the City of San Diego HRB. Shannon Anthony will return from the Planning Department as a senior planner and manage the Mills Act program. Welcome back, Shannon!

Google street view image of the five intact examples of Victorian architecture that still stood in 2017. The 1888 Andrew Cassidy Home is seen here second from the left. Photo courtesy Google maps

805 W. Cedar Street in Little Italy, known as the Vulcan Steam Room and Sauna, is highly significant for its association with the LGBTQ+ community under Criteria A and B. Constructed in 1961 as an addition to the Pioneer Printers building at 1560 California Street, this structure functioned as a bathhouse from 1974-2013. It provided a private and safe space for gay men to socialize when physical and romantic relationships between men were stigmatized and illegal, until the law changed in 1976. Designated under Criterion A, this bathhouse is a special element of the city's historical, cultural, and social development for serving as a gathering space for gay men and as an informational and support center during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The building is also designated under Criterion B for an association with Frank Stiriti, the owner and founder of the Vulcan Steam Room and Sauna. Stiriti was an advocate and educator for the LGBTQ+ community, co-founder of the Gay San Diego Business Association (GSDBA), and recognized on the Center’s Wall of Honor in 2008, in addition to other leadership roles. Photo courtesy Google maps

3611 Hyacinth Drive in the Plumosa Park area of the Peninsula Community, is a single-story home built in 1929 in the Spanish Eclectic style. Named for its builder Jasper Writer and designated under Criterion C, this spec house embodies characteristics of the style, such as an asymmetrical primary facade; arched entry wood door; combined flat and side gable clay tile roof; stucco cladding; large rectangular focal windows; round clay tile vents; and fenestration primarily of multi-light and single-light wood-framed windows. Two partly enclosed porches, added later, are not included in the designation. Interestingly, this residence was identified as a potential historic landmark by the Quieter Homes Program and has been determined to be a contributor to the National Register-eligible Plumosa Park Historic District. Photo courtesy Zillow.com

3780-3786 Fifth Avenue in Uptown, including the courtyard, is designated on Criterion A for its strong association with LGBTQ+ social services, civil rights, and publication of The Gayzette. It is also designated for Criterion B: this was the residence and advocacy work site of Albert Bell, a San Diego activist who was also nationally known for promoting LGBTQ+ rights, feminism, and civil rights for all. The period of significance is 1982-1994. The HRB gave the complex its historical name, which is the LGBTQ Community/Albert Bell Building.