Student sports were in their infancy in 1900 at San Diego Normal School but the college we know today as San Diego State University was eager to launch competitive sports. From its campus on Park Blvd. in University Heights, the one-year-old school was ready for football.

Founded in 1897, San Diego State University (SDSU) is celebrating 125 years of history this year, which includes its first campus in University Heights in 1898. This post focuses on the Normal School from 1910 to 1920.

This week, a plaque gifted by the University Heights Historical Society to the San Diego Unified School District, was installed on the Teachers Training Annex 1 commemorating its status as a national landmark.

Founded in 1897, San Diego State University (SDSU) is celebrating 125 years of history this year, which includes its first campus in University Heights in 1898. This post focuses on the Normal School from 1898 to 1910.

One hundred years ago this week, a dispute between the San Diego Electric Railroad and the city of San Diego over street paving came to a head in the so-called Battle of Adams Avenue.

If you live in Normal Heights, North Park, or University Heights, you may be wondering how so older properties in our neighborhoods are being replaced by tall, dense buildings with little or no public review.

At 134 years old, University Heights is one of San Diego’s oldest neighborhoods and home to the former Mission Cliff Gardens, Bentley’s Ostrich Farm, San Diego Silk Mill, Adams Avenue Carbarn, the first reservoir for the city’s municipal water system, and the San Diego Normal School, forerunner to San Diego State University.

This beautiful Queen Anne Free Classic style home at 1086 Hayes Avenue in University Heights built in 1908 was historically designated by the City of San Diego Historic Resources Board on May 26, 2022.

Show your love for University Heights with our new, 7” diameter, bronze color plaque made from 14-gauge steel, sanded smooth, and coated with a durable UV powder coat to endure the elements for many years to come. Perfect for proudly mounting on the front of your house or business.

On June 21, 1900, the San Diego Normal School in University Heights (now San Diego State University) held its first commencement ceremonies. Twenty-six students graduated including 23 women and 3 men.

Three new historic markers were installed on May 18th by the University Heights Historical Society with a grant from the County of San Diego, and in partnership with the City of San Diego, the University Heights Community Development Corporation, and the University Heights Maintenance Assessment District.

A little bit of University Heights history was uncovered in early April when an old hand-painted sign for “Johnston’s Variety Department Store” was revealed under the sign for the former Small Bar at 4628 Park Blvd.

This downloadable digital guide includes a one-hour recorded webinar and 56-page slide deck presented by Senior Archaeologist/Historian Doug Mengers with PanGIS. Inc. Mr. Mengers walks through the process of researching the history of your property, preparing a report to nominate it locally for historic designation, and completing a Mills Act application to reduce property taxes on designated properties.

Save our Heritage Organisation is launching a free video tutorial series on Restoration Projects for the Historic Home Owner. Watch this first, step by step video on how to repair and restore your old wood window.

The University Heights Historical Society will host two free webinars in March about how to research and submit a nomination to historically designate your home, presented by historic preservation experts Amie Hayes with SOHO, and Doug Mengers with PanGIS.

Created originally for the fire insurance industry for risk assessment purposes, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps provide a wealth of information about the historical evolution of buildings, including their historic uses and building materials, for conservation, and restoration and rehabilitation.

As urban infill increases in University Heights, many of our older, potentially historic properties may be at risk for demolition. As a resident of University Heights, there is much you can easily do to help protect our historic heritage.

At 133 years old, University Heights is one of San Diego’s oldest neighborhoods and home to the former Mission Cliff Gardens, Bentley’s Ostrich Farm, San Diego Silk Mill, Adams Avenue Carbarn, the first reservoir for the city’s municipal water system, and the San Diego Normal School, forerunner to San Diego State University.

Founded in 1888, University Heights is one of San Diego’s oldest neighborhoods. And chances are, you live in an older home with a story to tell.  Perhaps you have wondered who built the house or who has lived there before you. You might even be interested in having your home historically-designated. But where do you start?

Built in 1908, the James A. Creelman House at 4656 North Avenue is one of the oldest homes in University Heights. James A. Creelman, a florist, and his wife Agnes purchased the property from the San Diego Electric Railway Company in October 1908 and built the house in the Craftsman (Arts and Crafts) style which would have just have come into vogue.