Alana and Bruce Coons are an amazing team working tirelessly, not for riches or fame, but to retain something of value to us all: San Diego’s heritage. Longtime preservation activists, the couple leads the nonprofit Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) in protecting San Diego’s historic buildings, neighborhoods, landscapes and cultural sites.
In 2000 Bruce became SOHO’s first full-time executive director with Alana overseeing the group’s events and education program. Since they assumed these roles SOHO has brought professional management with greater visibility and authenticity to previously languishing resources, including the Marston House Museum & Gardens in Hillcrest and Old Town’s “haunted” Whaley House. (Since this article was initially published in 2010, SOHO also now oversees the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House and the Santa Ysabel General Store.)
Bruce is SOHO’s front man, defending historic sites at public meetings throughout the county and in the media, including monthly appearances with KPBS-TV on “San Diego’s Historic Places.” Through the Sherlock Homes he offers an in-depth analysis for older properties needing restoration and also works with historic property owners to reach mutually satisfactory preservation agreements. When construction of the mammoth Petco Park drove downtown redevelopment, Bruce was instrumental in striking a nationally lauded settlement that preserved 11 historic warehouse buildings — including one that, to everyone’s delight, was incorporated into the ballpark itself.
A high-energy perfectionist, Alana is adept at a myriad of responsibilities that include organizing the annual People in Preservation Awards, publishing SOHO’s magazine and forming alliances to keep San Diego County preservation issues forefront to the public as well as with members of the over four-decade-old group. Notable projects are SOHO’s annual historic home tour (which in 2010 attracted a record 1,200 visitors), lectures by authors and Adobe U, a hands-on class in repairing historic adobe structures. In 2010 Alana and a volunteer committee launched May Day at the Marston House – San Diego’s Garden Party, which benefited restoration of the grounds surrounding this national historic landmark.
This article was first published in HillQuest Urban Guide, 2010
>>> August 2013 Note: Bruce Coons has thrown his hat into the race for San Diego Mayor.
