Important meeting this afternoon
(read the comments)
Preservationists throughout San Diego and beyond were recently shocked and dismayed to learn of the demolition of the iconic 1937 Ford Dealership building at 1015 Park Boulevard. According to Bruce Coons, executive director of SOHO. “this building designed by master architect Frank Hope Jr (the elder) was one of the few and very best remaining examples of commercial Art Deco Streamline Moderne style architecture in all of San Diego and a sister piece to the 1935 Exposition Ford building in Balboa Park that now houses the Air and Space Museum. Although the historical and architectural importance of this building had been widely recognized for years by SOHO, the general public, and the City of San Diego itself, no advance notice of demolition was issued by City Staff to SOHO or the public offering no opportunity for working out a solution until it was essentially too late.”
Expressing concern over the demolition, City Councilmember Todd Gloria, chairman of the Land Use & Housing Committee, has placed the item on the agenda of the committee’s upcoming meeting this afternoon (September 15) at 2pm in the City Council Committee Room, 12th Floor, City Administration Building, 202 C Street. Please join SOHO and members of the local preservation community at this meeting to protest the loss of the irreplaceable Ford Building, and to help ensure that the City will honor its commitment to allowing no demolitions of Historic Resources without following the prescribed laws and legal procedures.
In order to prevent this type of egregious and unlawful act from happening again and again, it is essential that members of the Land Use and Housing Committee and City Staff understand the extent of public angst over this issue. Please attend or email Todd with your concerns. Thanks.
