What is to become of the Chase Bank building at the intersection of Mission Bay Drive and Garnet Avenue and its large historic mosaics inside and out?

JPMorgan Chase Bank, which has closed that branch, previously applied for a coastal development permit to demolish the bank building at 4650 Mission Bay Drive. That permit has since lapsed.

“The application was withdrawn, and there is no current application on the site,” said City spokesperson Scott Robinson.

Community members are now wondering about the fate of that New Formalist-style building built in 1977.

“We’re going to decline to comment for this opportunity,” said Peter Kelley, local spokesperson for Chase, when approached by the Beach & Bay Press for further comment.

“I went on a crusade two years ago to save the mosaics when the demo/building permit was applied for in March 2020,” said Karl Rand, chair of Pacific Beach Planning Group. “The building has been emptied, but you can go right up to the doors and look through the glass to see the inside. I am still making inquiries.”

Rumor had it that the original building would be destroyed after a demolition permit had been secured and that it would be replaced with two new structures, including a 3,600-square-foot bank building plus a 3,200-square-foot quick-service restaurant.

Millard Sheets, a mid-20th century artist renowned for designing elaborate art on bank walls reflecting the state of California’s history, is credited with having done the mosaic work on the now empty bank branch building, which had previously been a Home Savings & Loan, once considered to be the nation’s largest savings and loan association. To distinguish itself from its competition, Home Savings & Loan reportedly partnered with Sheets, commissioning him to do mosaics and other artwork on its bank branches.

From 1955 to 1980, Sheets was the master designer of all Home Savings buildings, including the Pacific Beach site. Sheets and his artistic team reportedly created mosaics, murals, and sculptures on 200 structures statewide. Sheets’ style, as evidenced in PB, was to use art to tell local, site-specific histories.

Besides the bank’s artistic mosaics, a question remains today as to whether the building itself qualifies for historical designation.

Save Our Heritage Organisation, a nonprofit that since 1969 has devoted itself to preserving the historic architecture and landmarks around San Diego, has gone on record that it is convinced that both the building at 4650 Mission Bay Drive and its mosaics are historical.

“Located at a prominent intersection with monumental siting, this exquisite landmark is impossible to ignore because it is a unique and iconic work of art,” said the nonprofit’s executive director, Bruce Coons, in a July 2020 letter to the City. “The loss of this resource would be a significant adverse aesthetic impact under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and an environmental impact report will be required to consider alternatives that do not result in significant impacts.”

Coons’ letter goes on to state that Sheets’ design work was done in the “New Formalist style, and was specifically created “for each individual community.”

Coons added, “The eye-catching orientation to this busy intersection and exemplary integration of artwork into the building and site design, and eight gorgeous mosaics depicting six prominent figures in San Diego history, as well as two local scenes (the Children’s Zoo and Harbor) conveys a significant artistic contribution to the post-WW II development of Pacific Beach.”

Coons told Beach & Bay Press that Chase had originally applied for a ministerial permit, which wouldn’t have required a historic site review or an environmental report, in order for the bank branch to be razed.

“They thought the building wasn’t quite 45 years old,” he said. “But the property records say it was built in 1977, which makes the building 45 years old. And to demolish it, they would have to go through a historical review of the building.”

Concluded Coons: “The building itself, and its artwork, are a masterpiece of modern architecture. And we don’t have a lot of those.”