San Diego Normal School Site

Introduction

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 on Normal Street at Campus Avenue. The grand Normal School was built in 1898 and occupied this site for 33 years before moving to Montezuma Mesa in 1931 and becoming San Diego State University. During this time, the Teachers Training Annex 1 and the Drafting Classroom and Men’s Locker Room (Annex 4) were built to support the Normal School. While the Normal School was demolished in 1955, Annex 1 and 4 still stand today.

After the Normal School moved to Montezuma Mesa in 1931, Horace Mann Junior High School moved into the old Normal School building and Alice Birney School moved into the Teachers Training Annex. Several new buildings were constructed on the Normal School site including the Alice Birney Kindergarten building (Annex 2), Horace Mann Junior High School Domestic Science and Band Room (Annex 3), Horace Mann Junior High School Girls Shower Room (Annex 5), Horace Mann Junior High School Teachers Cafeteria (Annex 8), and the Eugene Brucker Education Center. All of these buildings stand today and the Eugene Brucker Education Center currently houses over 900 employees of the San Diego Unified School District.

In December 2019, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Board of Education decided to move its administrative offices off of the Normal School site and redevelop the 11-acre site to include affordable housing for teachers and staff. The University Heights Historical Society has been working closely with SDUSD since then to preserve as many of the historic buildings and heritage trees as possible on the site.

The Grand State Normal School Built in 1898

In 1887, the College Hill Land Association promised prospective buyers in University Heights that the San Diego College of Arts, a branch of the University of Southern California, would be located on the same site. However, construction of the San Diego College of Arts never advanced beyond the planning stage, as the real estate boom suddenly burst in 1889.

In 1898, the site of the aborted San Diego College of the Arts was donated to the State of California to build a “Normal School,” a state-sponsored teacher-training college. A Neoclassic Revival college building, designed by local architects William S. Hebbard and Irving Gill, was completed and opened in 1899. In 1910, a Teacher’s Training Annex was built adjacent to the Normal School to train teachers in classroom procedures under real-life conditions.

In 1921, the San Diego Normal School became the San Diego State Teachers College and could grant certificates and degrees. Also in 1921, the legislature moved San Diego Junior College to the Normal School campus. The junior college remained with the school until 1947, when it became independent. By 1928, the Normal School student body had outgrown the facilities at the Normal School and moved to its present day location on Montezuma Mesa, where it eventually became San Diego State University.

The Normal School was also situated on the historic route of the San Diego Electric Railway, owned by John Spreckels, which entered University Heights at Fourth Street and University Avenue, traveled eastward on University until jogging northeast along Normal Street past the Normal School, and then north along Park Boulevard.

Normal School Site Continuously Used for Educational Purposes

After the Normal School moved to Montezuma Mesa in 1931, the Normal School building and Teachers Training Annex continued to be used by San Diego City Schools for educational purposes and new buildings were constructed, all of which stand today.

• Annex 1: The Teachers Training Annex was built in 1910 as a training laboratory for the Normal School, where student teachers were observed as they provided instruction to school-age children. In 1999, the Teachers Training Annex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Annex 2: With the relocation of the Normal School to Montezuma Mesa in 1931, Alice Birney Elementary School moved into the old Teachers Training Annex. While housed in the old Teachers Training Annex, Alice Birney Elementary School sought funds from the United States Works Progress Administration to construct a kindergarten building adjacent to the 1910 Teachers Training Annex. Design of the building is speculatively attributed to Master Architect William Wheeler.

• Annex 3: With the relocation of the Normal School to Montezuma Mesa in 1931, Horace Mann Junior High School moved into the old Normal School and remained there until the early 1950s. During this time, three additional buildings were constructed on the Normal School campus to support Horace Mann Junior High School. The Domestic Science Hall & Band Room was built in 1936 and designed by Master Architect William Wheeler.

• Annex 4: A smaller Period Revival building was constructed in 1922 for use as the San Diego Normal School Drafting Classroom & Men’s Locker Room. This two-story building has similar design features as the Teachers Training Annex.

• Annex 5: The Girls Locker & Shower room was built in approximately 1936 and was also likely designed by Master Architect William Wheeler. It was one of three buildings on the Normal School site constructed to support Horace Mann Junior High School.

• Annex 8: The Teachers Cafeteria which was completed in the 1940s and was one of three buildings constructed on the Normal School site to support Horace Mann Junior High School. The Junior High School.

• Eugene Brucker Education Center: With a focus on progress, San Diego City Schools sought plans for a new education center on the south lawns of the old Normal School’s ornamental grounds. Designed by master architect Clyde Hufbauer, the new International Style education center was completed in 1953.

Sadly, the monumental Normal School building was demolished by San Diego Unified School District in 1955, citing safety issues and a lack of compliance with building and fire codes, primarily due to the building auditorium’s second floor location. The site of the old Normal School is now a parking lot for the Eugene Brucker Education Center.

To learn more about the history of the Normal School site, please access our free, online, self-guided walking tour which is optimized for easy viewing on your smart phone:

Heritage Trees

In addition to the historic buildings on the Normal School site, Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO) in collaboration with Cultural Landscape Specialist Vonn Marie May, identified several possible heritage trees on the Normal School site in 2018. These include:

• One massive Eucalyptus tree on Campus Avenue from the Normal School development of 1898. Sadly, the San Diego Unified School District removed this tree in 2019, citing safety reasons.

• One large Oak tree in front of Annex 3 from the Normal School development of 1898.

• Several Queen Palms, located in the right of way along Normal Street and Campus Avenue from the Normal School development of 1898.

• One large Ficus tree at the corner of Normal Street and Campus Avenue likely from the later mid-century development of Horace Mann Junior High School and the Alice Birney Elementary schools. This tree may also be associated with Jane Minshall, San Diego’s first female landscape architect.

• Several Canary Island Pines, also likely from the later mid-century development of Horace Mann Junior High School and the Alice Birney Elementary schools and associated with Jane Minshall.

• Several Olive trees, also likely from the later mid-century development of Horace Mann Junior High School and the Alice Birney Elementary schools and associated with Jane Minshall.

Future of the Normal School Site

The Normal School site is not only of local importance but of regional importance to all of San Diego for its role in the educational, social and economic development of San Diego. In December 2019, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Board of Education decided to move its administrative offices off of the Normal School site and redevelop the 11-acre site to include affordable housing for teachers and staff.

The University Heights Historical Society has been working closely with SDUSD since 2018 to preserve as many of the historic buildings and heritage trees as possible, and also include joint uses on the site including parks and open space for people and pets. The SDUSD has already committed to preserving and adaptively reusing the Teachers Training Annex 1, and the old Alice Birney Kindergarten Annex 2.

Normal School Site Heritage Fund

The University Heights Historical Society has established a fund to preserve as many of the historic buildings and heritage trees as possible on the Normal School site, and to educate the public about the historical significance of the site. 100% of donations to the Normal School Site Heritage Fund will be used for the following projects, subject to approval by the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education (SDUSD):

• Design and install interpretive signage at the site of the former Normal School, the remaining Annex buildings, and at the site of the former streetcar line along Normal Street.

• Design and install educational exhibits inside Annex 1 interpreting the history of the Normal School site and the streetcar along Normal Street.

• Install a kiosk at the gateway entrance to the site for posting community and educational information.