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Historic Warehouse District (J Street between Sixth Avenue and 13th Street)
November/December 2024
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Once at grave risk of being lost to development, these warehouses have been preserved and repurposed, many as for residential use, while maintaining the area's early 20th-century industrial character.
In the late 1990s, the San Diego Padres owners sought to build a new stadium in the downtown East Village, just east of the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Major redevelopment included plans to demolish nine blocks of warehouses and industrial buildings dating from the late 1800s to early 1900s, among them the Western Metal Supply Co., the Showley Brothers Candy Factory, and the Levi Wholesale Co.
Over two years of negotiations, SOHO secured a landmark, precedent-setting settlement with the Padres and the City of San Diego, saving eleven historic buildings across nine city blocks in the East Village’s Historic Warehouse District. SOHO’s vision was to preserve the district as a natural extension of the nearby Gaslamp Quarter, another area SOHO was instrumental in saving.
One of the most iconic elements of this preservation effort is the Western Metal Supply Co. building, now a key feature of Petco Park that draws comparisons to popular baseball landmarks, like Fenway Park’s Green Monster and Wrigley Field’s bleachers. The 1924 Showley Brothers Candy Factory was carefully relocated to accommodate the Park at the Park within the stadium complex.
Through SOHO's efforts, the restoration, rehabilitation, and relocation of these buildings were imaginatively integrated into the Padres’ new ballpark project. Other renovated historic warehouses now attract residents and visitors alike to restaurants, bars, and shops.
Back to San Diego Places Once on SOHO's Endangered List Now Flourish
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