Starting in 1890, a series of successive cable car companies developed the park land at Park and Adams to attract riders up to the barren University Heights. The San Diego Electric Railway Company purchased the property in 1898 and transformed it into the magnificent Mission Cliff Gardens.

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.

Since 1997, the University Heights Historical Society has worked to preserve the architectural, cultural, and historic resources in University Heights through research, education, and advocacy.

Did you know that San Diego State University had it’s beginnings in University Heights? The San Diego Normal School was built in 1898 on Normal Street in University Heights to increase the certification of teachers. The school moved to Montezuma Mesa in 1931 and was renamed San Diego State University in the early 1970s. Take our free, self-guided walking tour to learn more.

In this short video, Bill Ellig with the University Heights Historic Society talks with Sheila, owner of the Everett Gee and Eileen Lois Jackson Residence in University Heights, an excellent example of a Spanish Colonial Revival style single-family house originally owned by two very interesting people who had a significant impact on San Diego’s social and cultural history.

The University Heights Historical Society has been working with City of San Diego Historic Preservation Planning staff and Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) since 2015 to identify bungalow courts throughout University Heights, and to include them in the Historic Preservation Elements of both the North Park and Uptown Community Plans.

May is National Preservation Month! Celebrate by learning about the early history of University Heights, one of San Diego’s oldest communities. Hear about the grand Normal School—predecessor to San Diego State University, how Trolley Barn Park got its name, why there once was an ostrich farm in University Heights, and more.

University Heights is fortunate to have four historic districts, which are defined by the City of San Diego municipal code as a geographic concentration of buildings (or other resources) that collectively convey a shared significance under one or more of the City’s designation criteria.

As one of San Diego’s oldest neighborhoods, University Heights has many historical landmarks. One of the most significant is the site of the Normal School, which was built in 1898 and was the forerunner to San Diego State University.

John Davidson was the Scottish-born landscape gardener who transformed Mission Cliff Gardens into a 38-acre botanical wonder.

The University Heights Street sign, one of our community’s most distinctive landmarks, was designed by Kevin Whaley and installed in 1997.