By Jim Newland

On May 19, The La Mesa Historical Society and Rotary Club of La Mesa announced the installation of 11 new historic photo plaques in the downtown Village.

The historical photo plaque program looks to meet the Society’s mission to educate the community and its visitors to the unique and inspiring history of La Mesa, and the Rotary Club of La Mesa’s purpose to support the greater community through positive, lasting service.

The Society’s historic photo plaque program started in 2011 with the installation of a plaque at the Wolf Building (8360 La Mesa Blvd., Mostly Mission Furniture) to commemorate the centennial of the pioneering Flying A Motion Picture Company’s residence there (1911 to 1912).

Subsequently, these two long-standing service organizations, the Historical Society (formed 1975) and the Rotary Club of La Mesa (formed 1925), have partnered to develop and fund this new phase of 11 additional plaques featuring historic photos of prominent sites, locations and views, and brief interpretive texts.

The plaques themselves feature historic images from the Society’s collections that are laser-etched onto stainless steel panels that provide crisp reproductions of these photos in a long-lasting, fade-free format for the public to enjoy when visiting the downtown village.

The Society and Rotary Club believe that this program will provide additional public service and educational benefits that compliments the city of La Mesa’s recently completed Downtown Village Streetscape Improvement Project.

A walking-guide brochure, that will also be available on the Society’s website is currently in production and is hoped to be available in time for this year’s Flag Day Parade on June 4. Society President Jim Newland will lead a short walking tour to the sites after the event.

The new Historic Plaque Sites:

• La Mesa Movie Theater (1926) – 8119 La Mesa Blvd. Gypsy Treasure Costumes.
• La Mesa Lemon Company Building (1895) – 8241 La Mesa Blvd. Barking Beauties, Act II, et al.
• Bank of La Mesa/Park-Grable Co. Site (1909, current 1955 building) – 8202 La Mesa Blvd. Goodwill.
• Hotel La Mesa Building (1908/1923) – 8282 La Mesa Blvd. Hoffer’s Cigar Bar.
• Heller Building (1930) – 8295 La Mesa Blvd. Various businesses.
• Bank of Southern California (1927) – 8302 La Mesa Blvd. Por Favor Restaurant.
• Old SDG&E Building and Block (image 1928) – 8329 La Mesa Blvd. Amythest Moon.
• Drew Ford Building (1927) – 8390 La Mesa Blvd. BO-beau Kitchen + Garden Restaurant.
• Sheldon’s Gas Station (1920) – 8401 La Mesa Blvd. Currently vacant.
• First National Bank/Piggly Wiggly Buildings (1942) – 4757 Palm Ave. Randall Lamb.
• La Mesa Lumber/Chamber Building (1930) – 8200 Allison Ave. Mission Realty.

More detailed information on these sites is available from the Society by contacting Jim Newland through its website, lamesahistory.com.

Both the Society and the Rotary Club are hopeful that this will inspire other property owners to participate in future phases of the program. It is also planned to expand to various historic and iconic sites throughout the city.

—Jim Newland is president of the La Mesa Historical Society. Reach him through the Society website at lamesahistory.com.