Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Historic building to become University Heights library?

Shared–use space for the community and school district envisioned

For several years, the University Heights Community Development Corporation has been pushing to acquire the old Teachers Training Annex 1, owned by the San Diego Unified School District. The development corporation’s plan would renovate the 1910 structure and make it the new University Heights Branch Library (replacing the small library building at 4193 Park Boulevard).

The building is a National Register of Historic Places site and currently part of the school district's education-center complex along Normal Street (at El Cajon Boulevard).

Also advocating to save the Italian Renaissance Revival–style building is Save Our Heritage Organisation. According to the organization’s website, “Originally functioning as a living laboratory for student teachers, [the building] was transferred to the City of San Diego Schools in 1931 and served as the original Alice Birney Elementary School until 1951.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Also, according to Save Our Heritage Organisation, “The structure was eventually delegated for records storage and has been left to steadily, and visibly, deteriorate for decades.”

However, the annex is “no longer used for records storage” since the building has not undergone seismic retrofitting, said district spokesman Jack Brandais.

Bruce Coons, executive director of SOHO, was asked about possible support from mayor-elect Kevin Faulconer and council president Todd Gloria.

“Yes, we will be asking for Kevin's help on this,” said Coons in an interview. “I don't know if Civic San Diego will have a role, but that may be a good question for us to ask both Todd and Kevin, as Civic SD is seeking an expanded role to survive.”

Midori Wong, director of the school district’s special projects, said, “The district has been in communication with the University Heights Library Task Force with regard to Annex 1 for some time. Superintendent Cindy Marten and I attended a meeting of the group last fall. The district continues to be very supportive of ongoing dialogue around the future of the building.”

Ronald V. Johnston is chair of the University Heights development corporation’s library task force. In an email, he said he has “done all of the negotiations, and reached agreements with the school board and school district. The city is not, and never will be buying the land or building.” Johnston added: “The land and building is owned by the school district, and the library is to be a JOINT USE library as well as a shared–use space for the community and school district.”

Coons is skeptical that progress is being made. He previously stated that the building “sits in a state of demolition by neglect. The powers–that–be appear to simply be waiting until it's conveniently too late to save this uniquely grand piece of local history.”

The renovation cost would be substantial. Johnston said “the extensive evaluation of the building, which was done by the architectural firm of Fields Devereaux, estimated the cost to approach $10 million. That was a few years ago, so that number could be higher or lower now.” As for funding, Johnston said their “current goal is to get the project included in the city's infrastructure bond issue funding.”

(revised 2/24 4:10 p.m.)

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024

For several years, the University Heights Community Development Corporation has been pushing to acquire the old Teachers Training Annex 1, owned by the San Diego Unified School District. The development corporation’s plan would renovate the 1910 structure and make it the new University Heights Branch Library (replacing the small library building at 4193 Park Boulevard).

The building is a National Register of Historic Places site and currently part of the school district's education-center complex along Normal Street (at El Cajon Boulevard).

Also advocating to save the Italian Renaissance Revival–style building is Save Our Heritage Organisation. According to the organization’s website, “Originally functioning as a living laboratory for student teachers, [the building] was transferred to the City of San Diego Schools in 1931 and served as the original Alice Birney Elementary School until 1951.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Also, according to Save Our Heritage Organisation, “The structure was eventually delegated for records storage and has been left to steadily, and visibly, deteriorate for decades.”

However, the annex is “no longer used for records storage” since the building has not undergone seismic retrofitting, said district spokesman Jack Brandais.

Bruce Coons, executive director of SOHO, was asked about possible support from mayor-elect Kevin Faulconer and council president Todd Gloria.

“Yes, we will be asking for Kevin's help on this,” said Coons in an interview. “I don't know if Civic San Diego will have a role, but that may be a good question for us to ask both Todd and Kevin, as Civic SD is seeking an expanded role to survive.”

Midori Wong, director of the school district’s special projects, said, “The district has been in communication with the University Heights Library Task Force with regard to Annex 1 for some time. Superintendent Cindy Marten and I attended a meeting of the group last fall. The district continues to be very supportive of ongoing dialogue around the future of the building.”

Ronald V. Johnston is chair of the University Heights development corporation’s library task force. In an email, he said he has “done all of the negotiations, and reached agreements with the school board and school district. The city is not, and never will be buying the land or building.” Johnston added: “The land and building is owned by the school district, and the library is to be a JOINT USE library as well as a shared–use space for the community and school district.”

Coons is skeptical that progress is being made. He previously stated that the building “sits in a state of demolition by neglect. The powers–that–be appear to simply be waiting until it's conveniently too late to save this uniquely grand piece of local history.”

The renovation cost would be substantial. Johnston said “the extensive evaluation of the building, which was done by the architectural firm of Fields Devereaux, estimated the cost to approach $10 million. That was a few years ago, so that number could be higher or lower now.” As for funding, Johnston said their “current goal is to get the project included in the city's infrastructure bond issue funding.”

(revised 2/24 4:10 p.m.)

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Next Article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.