For decades, they sat stagnant, pockmarked by peeling paint, rotting wood, chipping siding and other unsightly blemishes.<\/p>\n
In 2014, just as Balboa Park was on the cusp of entering its grand centennial celebration, it seemed all hope was lost for a pair of long-lived gate houses that adorned both sides of the Cabrillo Bridge.<\/p>\n Removing the deteriorating structures from their longtime perch was under serious consideration. But a group of preservationists, working under the apt name Friends of Balboa Park, saw beauty and possibility where others saw blight and deterioration.<\/p>\n Fast forward three years, and the Balboa Park Gate Houses are gleaming, proudly demonstrating the venue\u2019s storied history that stretches back to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.<\/p>\n The project is one in a long string of endeavors the Friends group has taken on since it was first established in 1999.<\/p>\n \u201cWe like to say that we are the vessel between the city of San Diego and Balboa Park,\u201d said John Bolthouse, executive director of the organization. \u201cWe raise money and awareness for capital projects that are not in the city\u2019s budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim Hughes, who has served Friends of Balboa Park in a variety of capacities, rolled up his sleeves and took on the role of project manager when the organization accepted the gate houses as a restoration project in 2014.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of [the gate houses] had a crushed roof,\u201d Hughes recalled. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know a lot about the structures when we first got started. All we did know was they looked miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n While the gate houses are a microscopically small part of Balboa Park, the Friends group asserted the restorative effort, which carried with it a $140,000 project budget, was well worth the effort and expense because of the story behind the structures.<\/p>\n The gate houses were initially constructed to anchor a sprawling series of gates, which were used to control admission into that first exhibition 102 years ago.<\/p>\n While the adorning gates have long since been removed, the gate houses continued to stand in place for years to come.<\/p>\n The heavy lifting \u2014 planning and the actual restoration work \u2014 began in earnest in 2015 and wrapped early this year.<\/p>\n A formal ribbon cutting commemorating the project\u2019s completion took place in late March.<\/p>\n At the onset, Hughes and his team were unsure how they were going to tackle the project because of the scarcity of information.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t able to locate any documents on the structure,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cThere weren\u2019t any blueprints or good photos. Our initial thought was we would just work on stabilizing the structures.\u201d<\/p>\n But additional details did surface as the project got underway, and Hughes said the Friends group worked tirelessly to ensure each painstaking restorative effort was true to the gate houses\u2019 original designs.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a historical sense, you don\u2019t guess,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cEither you do it right, or you don\u2019t do it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n The Friends group initially anticipated the gate house restoration work taking about a year to complete. But once additional information surfaced, the project\u2019s timeline stretched closer to the two-year mark.<\/p>\n In May, the Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) recognized Hughes for his leadership role in restoring the Balboa Park Gate Houses. SOHO\u2019s members singled Hughes out, bestowing him with the group\u2019s cultural landscape award.<\/p>\n Hughes said the SOHO recognition was the perfect ending to a fulfilling project, though he was quick to point out the award extends beyond himself.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the end, we were very happy with the finished project,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cThis only came together because of everyone\u2019s expertise. There were quite a few disciplines involved in this.\u201d<\/p>\n With the gate house restoration effort wrapped, members of the Friends of Balboa Park have shifted their attention toward a new effort: restoring a recently purchased 107-year carousel that has strong Balboa Park ties.<\/p>\n The carousel dates back to 1910 in North Tonawanda, New York, and first made its way to San Diego during the 1915 exhibition. The structure has been privately owned for most of its existence, though the Friends group recently raised enough funds to acquire it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s in magnificent shape,\u201d Bolthouse said. \u201cOur highest priority right now is to raise the profile of the carousel in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n The Friends group is in the midst of an extensive campaign to fully restore the carousel to its heyday. The anticipated cost of the project is expected to hover around $3 million, and $798,000 has been raised thus far.<\/p>\n For more details on Friends of Balboa Park\u2019s latest capital campaign, which was formally announced July 25, visit balboaparkcarousel.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Preservation:](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/web-Image-1.jpg\")
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