Features - Destinations
OLD
TOWN SAN DIEGO SIGHTS
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This 7.8-acre
county park is dedicated to the preservation of San Diego's Victorian
architecture. Expansion downtown after WW II threatened these structures
with demolition on their original sites. Public and private funds paid
for the acquisition, relocation, and restoration of these buildings. Now
owned by the county, the structures are leased to private and commercial
entities responsible for interior renovation and operation in keeping
with the park's Victorian theme. Wedding services, a doll shop, bed and
breakfast inn, law office, antique store, and a community meeting place
operate in Heritage Park.
San
Diego County Reservations:
(619) 565-3600 5201
Ruffin Road, Suite P |
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The Buildings and their styles include: |
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SHERMAN - GILBERT HOUSE (I887)
Stick Eastlake - (City Historic Site #8) The style
named after Charles Eastlake, English author and furniture designer, made
use of applied "stick work." The "widow's walk" and
circular window identify the first structure moved to Heritage Park. John
Sherman, cousin of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, hired architects Nelson
Comstock and Carl Trotsche to build this house - one of 60 buildings they
designed from 1886 to 1889. Comstock is best remembered as a "Knight
of the Jigsaw and Lathe." From 1892 to 1965, spinster sisters Bess
and Gertrude Gilbert, patrons of art and music, brought internationally
famous entertainers to receptions in their home. Such artists as Percy
Grainger, Harold Bauer, Yehudi Menuhin, Mme. Modjeska, Ernestine Schumann-Heink,
and Maestros Paderewski and Kreisler were honored guests. Anna Pavlova
danced in the music room, Artur Rubinstein practiced the piano here, and
Marian Anderson spent the night when she was denied lodging at the El
Cortez Hotel during World War II.
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BUSHYHEAD HOUSE (1887) Italianate - Edward Wilkerson Bushyhead, early San Diego sheriff, chief of police, and San Diego Union newspaper owner, built this house as a rental. The Italianate style combines double doors with glass panels, tall protruding bay windows, regularly spaced brackets, and a low-pitched roof. Bushyhead, part Cherokee Indian, marched in the famous "Trail of Tears" (the displacement of the Cherokee nation) when he was six years old. | |
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BURTON HOUSE (1893) Classic
Revival - Pediments and dentil cornices inspired
by classic sources mark this house. Henry Guild Burton, retired Army physician,
built it during a trend that by the turn of the century began to eliminate
decoration.
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TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL (1889)
Classic Revival - (City Historic Site #82) San Diego's
first synagogue, constructed by the Congregation Beth Israel, also became
temporary quarters for many religious sects before they established churches
of their own. The structure reflects the church styles of the late 1800s.
The first services were held September 25, 1889, at sundown at the beginning
of the Jewish New Year, Erev Rosh Hashana, 5650.
The county operates this building as a community center. Reservations for weddings, bar mitzvahs, receptions, and public meetings can be made by calling the San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation at (619) 565-3600. |
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CHRISTIAN HOUSE (1889) Queen
Anne - A popular late Victorian design characterized
by a variety of chimneys, shingles, a comer tower, and encircling veranda.
This graceful residence was constructed by Harfield Timberlake Christian,
founder of an early San Diego abstract company. Gelette Burgess, author
of the immortal verse about the purple cow ("I never saw a purple
cow, I never hope to see one; but I can tell you anyhow, I'd rather see
than be one"), wrote this description of Queen Anne architecture:
"It should have a conical corner tower; it should be built of at
least three incongruous materials or, better, imitations thereof; it should
have its window openings absolutely haphazard; it should represent parts
of every known and unknown order of architecture; it should be so plastered
with ornament as to conceal the theory of its construction. It should
be a restless, uncertain, frightful collection of details giving the effect
of a nightmare about to explode."
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SENLIS COTTAGE (1896) Nineteenth
Century Vernacular - A modest cottage built for
Eugene Senlis, an employee of San Diego pioneer horticulturist Kate Sessions.
This house, without the amenities of gas, electricity, water, or sewer,
is an example of dwellings occupied in the 1880s by working-class people.
Park restrooms are located on the north side of the building next to the parking circle. |
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McCONAUGHY HOUSE (I 887) Stick Eastlake - The house is named for its original owner, John McConaughy, who founded the first scheduled passenger and freight service in San Diego County. His four-horse passenger stages and six-horse wagons operated between San Diego and Julian. | |
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Why they're worth saving This park arose from the Parks and Recreation Department's commitment to the preservation of San Diego's cultural as well as natural resources. Had Heritage Park not been created, these notable buildings would have been lost to future generations. The park is also an example of how the county works with community advocacy groups. Heritage Park was a joint project with Save Our Heritage Organization, whose goal is to preserve San Diego's historic architecture. If you are interested in leaming more about our rich architectural heritage, call SOHO at (619) 297-9327 or visit its offices in the Senlis Cottage at Heritage Park. |
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