Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO) of San Diego will host its 9th annual Craftsman & Spanish Revival Weekend to celebrate historic architecture in Point Loma and beyond. The two-day festival will feature lectures, home tours, antique sales and book signings at the former NTC Promenade on March 10, 11 and 12.
More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the event that celebrates Point Loma’s unique and abundant historic homes, ranging in style from Craftsman to Spanish Revival to Mission Revival.
SOHO is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic homes through advocacy and education. Each year they hold the event in a different community and showcase different homes with the expectation that it will raise awareness and foster support for their mission.
“Once [visitors] find out about [the different periods], they tend to fall in love with them and find out that San Diego is a very historic place with a large inventory of historic homes and neighborhoods,” said Alana Coons, SOHO events and education director.
The Craftsman style was prominent from 1900 to 1915. Spanish Revival overlapped that period, beginning in 1900 and ending in 1930. Spanish Colonial Revival architecture is characterized by the use of Mediterranean-derived arches, courtyards, form as mass, plain wall surfaces and tile roofs.
“One of the reasons [Spanish Revival and Craftsman] are such an easy combination for us is the period of time,” Coons said. “There is a lot of crossover and blending.”
The event kicks off on Friday, March 3, with an opening night catered reception offering attendees wine and cheese, as well as the first chance at antique show and sale goods. The reception runs from 7 to 9 p.m., and costs $15.
The antique show and sale continues on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a plethora of early 20th century finds. A Silent Auction beginning Friday evening at 7 p.m. and closing Sunday at 3 p.m. will feature donated items from exhibitors and restoration and preservation services. Entry is free to the antique show with admission to any of the tours or lectures, otherwise it costs $5.
Visitors can chose from a variety of tours, including guided, walking and self-directed. The highlight of the event is the self-driven tour of five historic Point Loma homes. All are privately owned and most have never been shown to the public. Emmer Brooke Weaver designed two of the five and was known for using Craftsman style. The remaining three are Spanish Revival homes, two of which have views of the San Diego Bay. SOHO guides will be present at each home to point out its distinguished features, both inside and out. The tour, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday only, costs $30 for non-SOHO members if purchased by March 8, $35 thereafter.
“Point Loma has the highest concentration of Spanish Revival [homes] in the county and some of the most fabulously designed,” Coons said.
SOHO’s architecture event is held in the former Naval Training Center’s historic district, which happens to be one of four in San Diego listed by the National Register of Historic Places. Eleven of the district’s 60 historic buildings will be toured on foot to showcase the Spanish Revival style. Architectural historians will speak to the revitalization of the area and the work of Lincoln Rogers and Frank Stevenson. The walking tours start from Building 210 on Saturday, March 4, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The cost is $10 for SOHO members, $15 non-members.
The final Saturday tour option is a three-hour trolley ride viewing more than 30 examples of bungalow courts. The tour begins at 1 p.m. from Building 210 and will most likely sell out. Tickets are $20 for SOHO members, $25 non-members.
Also on Saturday, four prominent speakers will hold a series of lectures on San Diego and its historic architecture. Keynote speaker, Marvin Rand, is well known for his architecture photography and will discuss his forthcoming book on Irving Gill and recently published work, “Green & Green.”
“Seeing Marvin Rand is a real opportunity, a lifetime opportunity for many who love photography,” Coons said.
Paul Duchscherer will speak about bungalows, local historian Allen Hazard will address San Diego’s “forgotten builders,” and Matthew Bokovoy will talk about saving San Diego’s landscapes. Hazard will speak at 10:30 a.m., Rand at noon, Bokovoy at 3 p.m. and Duchscherer at 3:30 p.m. All lectures last one hour and are $10 for members, $15 non-members.
The NTC Promenade is located at 2751 Roosevelt Rd. For information, www.sohosandiego.org or (619) 297-9327.