Back to all events
Friday, March 06, 2020

Open House San Diego

Image for Open House San Diego

The Timken Museum of Art will participate in Open House San Diego on Friday, March 6, 2020, with a tour at 11:30 and 1:00 pm. 

For more information visit the San Diego Architecture Foundation website.

March 6-8: Citywide Architecture and Design Festival Invites Residents to Tour San Diego’s Architectural Treasures 

  • OH! San Diego offers free, behind-the-scenes tours of San Diego’s best buildings 
  • Coronado joins for the first time as one of nine diverse neighborhoods offering family-friendly tours 

WHAT: The San Diego Architectural Foundation announces OH! San Diego (Open House San Diego) architecture and urban design event on March 6 through 8. This festival offers free tours of nearly 100 locations citywide for a rare, behind-the-scenes look at some of San Diego’s most iconic buildings and places. 

Visitors will have the chance to discover some of the city’s newest, never-before-seen buildings, in addition to historic landmarks throughout Downtown, Gaslamp, East Village, Bankers Hill, Barrio Logan, Balboa Park, Point Loma, La Jolla and, new this year, Coronado. Many sites in this year’s event will feature designer-led tours and talks. A juried architectural photography competition will award prizes in a variety of categories. 

Opportunities for kids and parents include collaborating with architects to sketch their own versions of architecture at Coronado Clubroom & Boathouse and Wisteria Cottage in La Jolla – Recommended for kids third grade to high school. 

WHY: San Diego Architectural Foundation selects each OH! San Diego site for its unique architectural, historical or cultural value. Sites are hand-picked to represent and recognize the region’s contribution to architecture and design. San Diego Architectural Foundation considers design excellence, the innovative use of materials, repurposing of space, environmental sustainability and energy efficiency when selecting the featured sites. The festival promotes awareness of San Diego’s urban environment and sparks discussion about good planning and design and the critical issues facing San Diego. 

HOW TO ATTEND: Attendees may pre-register for the event to be entered into a drawing to win custom-designed OH! San Diego exclusive T-shirts. On the weekend of March 6-8, attendees should start at one of the neighborhood hubs where they will receive a free map to navigate the weekend events. Souvenir event guides are available for a $5 donation. 

Attendees can see spaces such as architecture and design studios, museums, schools, hotels, high-rises, San Diego Architectural Foundation’s Orchid Award winners and historically designated sites. Nearly 350 trained volunteers will be on hand to assist visitors. Volunteer opportunities are available here. 

Most sites will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. with open access. Sites at Balboa Park will only be open on Friday, March 6, and all other sites will be open Saturday and Sunday, March 7 and 8. Some sites will offer scheduled talks and guided tours on a first-come, first-serve basis, while others will require reservations. Most sites are family-friendly and easily accessible by public transit, bike or trolley. 

San Diego Architectural Foundation members get advance access for reservation-only sites. A full list of participating sites and public reservations will be available on February 12 at www.sdarchitecture.org/openhouse. 

NEIGHBORHOOD HUBS: 

  • Balboa Park: Timken Museum of Art (1500 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101) 
  • Bankers Hill: Domusstudio Architecture (2800 Third Ave., San Diego, CA 92103) 
  • Barrio Logan: Bread & Salt (1955 Julian Ave., San Diego, CA 92113) 
  • Coronado: Coronado Historical Association Museum (1100 Orange Ave., Coronado, CA 92118) 
  • Downtown: Amici House (250 W Date Street, San Diego, CA 92101) 
  • East Village: Spaces at Block D Makers Quarter (845 15th Street, San Diego, CA 92101) 
  • Gaslamp: San Diego Chinese Historical Museum (404 Third Ave., San Diego, CA 92101) 
  • La Jolla: La Jolla Historical Society (780 Prospect St., La Jolla, CA 92037) 
  • Point Loma: Arts District Liberty Station (2640 Historic Decatur Road, San Diego, CA 92106) 

OTHER OH! SAN DIEGO HIGHLIGHTS: 

  • Cultural Significance: LGBTQ Truax Lofts: Originally built in 1912, this reconstructed craftsman residence pays homage to its special place in San Diego’s social history and significance to the LGBTQ community. During the 1980s - 1990s AIDS epidemic, the building served as the first and only hospice for those afflicted with the disease. 

o Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (2517 Union Street, San 

Diego, CA 92101) 

  • Historic Landmark Balboa Theatre: An elegant vaudeville and movie palace in a 1920’s state-of-the-art building that included six storefronts and offices on floors above. This historic landmark features a unique tiled dome and ornate plaster fretwork above the 1,500-seat auditorium. The $26.5 million renovations funded by the City of San Diego ensures that it will serve as a community performing arts center for years to come. 

o Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. (868 Fourth Ave, San 

Diego, CA 92101) – reservation required 

  • First LEED Gold-Certified House Shayan House: With 13-foot high floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing stunning canyon and city views, the main living area takes full advantage of natural light and seamlessly connects to the outdoors. The first LEED Gold certified house in San Diego, it blends passive and active heating, ventilation and cooling measures. 

o Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, 1 to 4 p.m. (3445 Ibis Street, San Diego, CA 

92103) 

  • Barrio Logan “Palace of the Arts” Villa Montezuma Museum: This Queen Anne Victorian “Palace of the Arts” was home to the pianist and spiritualist Jesse Shepard. Its many distinctive features include varied roof towers and cupolas, an eccentric façade with many shingle patterns and stained-glass windows. 

o Saturday, March 7, 9 a.m. to noon (1925 K St., San Diego, CA 92102) – 

reservation required 

  • Architecture and Music The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center: This center has rapidly become a hub of cultural, arts education and community event activity in La Jolla, bringing world-class performances to the community as the new, permanent home of La Jolla Music Society. The facility appears as a composition of smaller structures and open spaces, in keeping with the scale of the Village location. 

o Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (7600 Fay Ave, La Jolla, CA 

92037) – free musical and dance performances on Saturday; self-guided tours on Sunday! 

o http://sdarchitecture.org/program/openhouse/ o http://sdarchitecture.org/