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Sisters of Mercy Hospital
November/December 2024
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In 1891, the Sisters of Mercy opened St. Joseph’s Hospital, the predecessor to Mercy Hospital, in Hillcrest. In 2007, the San Diego Historical Resources Board designated the three-story clapboard structure as historic, but it sat vacant after a beloved antiques store moved out. Concerned that the building was threatened by “demolition by neglect,” SOHO placed it on the Most Endangered List in 2014.
Originally located on the north side of University Avenue between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, the Annex building, as it was called, housed two naturally lit surgical units, X-ray facilities, a lecture hall for student nurses, and resting quarters for surgeons. Owners moved it across the street to its current location at 801-803 University Avenue.
SOHO urged the City of San Diego to require any future owners to abide by its designation and for the City to follow its own policy against demolition by neglect. Fortunately, new owners Stephanie Garden and Tim Langdon recognized the building's potential for adaptative reuse in 2018 and transformed the former hospital annex into a coffee shop, the Better Buzz Coffee Roasters. They received a SOHO People in Preservation Award that same year.
Back to San Diego Places Once on SOHO's Endangered List Now Flourish
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