By Barry Hager and Laura Largey
Mission Hills Heritage (MHH) is a community-based nonprofit organization formed in 2004 to protect the historic charm and character of Mission Hills. Ours is one of the oldest and most intact early-20th century neighborhoods in San Diego, with two existing historic districts and more planned. Mission Hills is a mature, built-out community, filled mostly with homes built in vintage architectural styles that cannot be replaced. The neighborhood is mostly single-family, with a few multi-family areas and some mixed-use and commercial areas that serve the local community. There is a growing public awareness within Mission Hills of the importance of preserving the community character and historic resources of the neighborhood.
MHH fulfills its mission through action and advocacy in local planning matters and by hosting annual educational events. We review and provide input to development projects affecting the community. MHH has also provided ongoing input to the Uptown Community Plan update and provided recommendations for local regulations affecting historic resources. We co-sponsored and provided instrumental support to enact and renew the Uptown Interim Height Ordinance, which provides temporary building height limits in commercial areas until the community plan update is complete. We have also supported efforts to form and expand Historic Districts in Mission Hills, working with committees of local residents.
On the educational side, we host three events each year that are open to the public: a lecture event in January, a Mission Hills walking tour in April, and our widely acclaimed Historic Home Tour each September. In 2015, the unified theme of our three events will be “the Prairie Style.” We will explore the history of this important American architectural style and its migration from the Midwest to the West Coast in the early 1900s, and will highlight examples of Prairie Style homes in Mission Hills. The dates of our 2015 events are:
Lecture Series: “The Prairie Style: From the Midwest to Mission Hills” – Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015
Annual Walking Tour of Mission Hills – Saturday, April 18, 2015
Annual Historic Home Tour – Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015
Another ongoing program is our Oral Histories Project, where we interview and record the memories of long-term Mission Hills residents. Part of preserving the heritage of our community is preserving the stories of its past and present. This project creates a record of the everyday events that shaped our community and city. Preserving stories is essential to understanding our community and its traditions and will allow us to pass them on to future generations.
We also hold “Members Coffees” twice yearly as a social gathering for our members and to keep in touch with each other. MHH also holds an annual membership meeting each October, and a monthly board of directors meeting to conduct our business. While our voting membership is composed of Mission Hills residents, we also have associate members throughout San Diego. We publish a biannual newsletter for members, “The Inspiration,” and have an informative website with information about our events, current projects and the history of Mission Hills.
We invite you to join us to help support our mission, or just attend our events to learn more about the history and architecture of one the most historic communities in our city. For more information, visit our website at MissionHillsHeritage.org.
If you have questions or wish to contact us, please email us at [email protected].
