|
SOHO's Dedication to San Diego’s Adobe Legacy
Casa de Bandini/Cosmopolitan Hotel
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
November/December 2024
The restoration of the Casa de Bandini/Cosmopolitan Hotel, which began in 2007, highlights the collaborative effort of historians, archaeologists, architects, and SOHO, which played an essential role in preserving the integrity of the building’s adobe construction.
Built between 1827 and 1829 by Don Juan Bandini as a family residence, and later transformed into the Cosmopolitan Hotel in 1869, the building is one of California’s most important adobe structures.
Bruce Coons served as a historic design consultant on the restoration, working closely with a professional team to preserve the building's original character. “Preservationists have been waiting since the 1960s to see this building restored and it was important to get it right. This is one of the most significant 19th-century buildings in the state, and so much of the original fabric was still here, just waiting to be uncovered,” he noted at the time.
Adobe buildings, particularly those that blend Mexican and early American architectural styles like the Casa de Bandini, require specialized preservation techniques. The restoration team painstakingly peeled back layers of modern renovations to reveal three- and four-foot-thick adobe walls, original redwood siding, and fireplaces that had been closed off for decades. The result is a building that not only reflects its historic appearance as the Cosmopolitan Hotel of the 1870s but also preserves key elements of its earlier adobe heritage.
This restoration reflects the shared vision of California State Parks and partners in preserving Old Town San Diego’s historic legacy. Operating once again as a hotel, restaurant, and saloon, the Cosmopolitan Hotel is a tribute to San Diego’s rich adobe heritage.
Further Reading
|
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
|
