Commercial Restoration Award

Kerri Klein and Mark Wiesner have the preservationist’s knack for identifying historic properties that can be restored and returned to the community while being profitable investments. They won a PIP Award in 2005 for saving a 1906 cottage in La Jolla from what the seller assumed would be demolition. Now, almost 20 years later, this couple is being recognized again by SOHO for restoring and adding to the much-needed rental housing in Hillcrest. They bought a neglected, four-unit Mission Revival style apartment building with two unpermitted units out back within a sketchy garage. Named the Blanche Barry Apartments, the two-story, 1926 structure was successfully added to the City of San Diego’s historic register in November 2021.

This historic site required the restoration of windows, doors, and original architectural details on the nearly century-old building with special attention to its front balcony to meet recently upgraded safety codes. They removed the unpermitted garage along with its two makeshift studio units and laundry room. This freed up shared outdoor space that they reorganized into landscaped pathways to two rebuilt studios and a new private patio for each one, plus 21st-century communal laundry facilities. Today, the airy studios echo the main building’s Mission Revival style architecture and present an attractive, unified facade when seen from the main building or the alley.

The project’s harmonious blending of historic and new structures belies several challenges the owners faced: A contractor quit mid-job, insurance companies canceled or refused to issue coverage, and SDGE created delays with serious financial consequences. In the end, the determined owners raised the bar for historic preservation in Hillcrest while meeting their personal goals for rental income and increasing housing options. As they noted, “We can preserve our historic resources and add additional units.”

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Blanche Barry Apartments, 1926. Photos courtesy the winners

View of one of the newly rebuilt studios with the private patio. Photos courtesy the winners

New landing and stairway. Photo by Sandé Lollis

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