Happy Birthday, University Heights!
Proposed San Diego College of Arts and Letters in University Heights, circa 1888
University Heights is 132 years old and still going strong! On August 6, 1888, Subdivision map #558 was filed with the County Recorder, delineating the University Heights subdivision. Trapezoidal in shape, the subdivision stretched along the south rim of Mission Valley, from the present-day boundary of Freeway 163 on the west, to the divisional boundary between city pueblo land and ex-Mission San Diego land (today’s Boundary Street). The southern boundary of the subdivision was along Fillmore Avenue (today’s University Avenue). The names of U.S. Presidents were generally chosen for all east west–streets while north–south streets were named after states.
The history of University Heights began a little earlier in 1885 after completion of the Santa Fe transcontinental railroad. San Diego’s population increased by approximately 2,000 new residents each month. Several speculative real estate developments were initiated to accommodate the increased demand for housing -- one of them was University Heights. In 1887, a large windswept tract of land overlooking Mission Valley was subdivided by the College Hill Land Association, a syndicate of businessmen owning land in the
proposed subdivision.
The syndicate promised prospective buyers that a branch college of what would eventually become the University of Southern California would be located in University Heights. The proposed San Diego College of Arts was to be the drawing point of the subdivision. However, construction of the college never advanced beyond the planning stage, as the real estate boom suddenly burst in 1889. Prospective buyers figured out that, besides sunshine and land, San Diego had no other readily marketable commodities to exploit. There was no oil, coal, lumber, or most importantly, an adequate supply of potable water.
The only legacy left from this abortive attempt to establish a college-centered community is reflected in the street names: University Avenue, Park Boulevard (which originally only stretched from Fillmore Avenue to today’s El Cajon Boulevard) and Mission Avenue (which headed to Sandrock Grade - today’s Texas Street), as well as the name of the community-University Heights.
Want to support education and preservation of our significant history in University Heights? Join the University Heights Historical Society and receive a free copy of our Guided Walking Tour of the Valle Vista Terrace Historic District!