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Founded | San Diego, California (1969) |
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Type | Non-profit |
Location |
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Services | Preservation and maintenance of historic architecture |
Fields | Protecting historic landmarks |
Website | sohosandiego.org |
Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) is a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of the historic architecture and landmarks around the San Diego, California, area. Founded in 1969, Save Our Heritage Organisation maintains several historic buildings including the Whaley House and the George W. Marston House. They are directly partnered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The organization's mission statement is: "Through education, advocacy, and stewardship SOHO's mission is to preserve, promote and support preservation of the architectural, cultural and historical links and landmarks that contribute to the community identity, depth and character of our region." [1]
The organization was founded in 1969 in San Diego, California, by Robert Miles Parker. He and 35 other members the organization wrote its constitution in April of the founding year. The constitution states that, "The general purpose for which this corporation is formed is to purchase, own, move, improve, maintain, repair, display, lease and/or operate, as museums or otherwise, various homes, stores, buildings, and other structures exemplifying different types of architectural styles found in the San Diego area for the education and benefit of the public." [2]
The first project the organization undertook was the restoration and relocation of the Sherman-Gilbert house, a Stick-Eastlake Victorian that was set to be demolished. The house was eventually relocated to the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park area.
In 1970, Save Our Heritage Organisation's Preservation Council was created. This council was instated to notify the organisation of any demolitions or sales of historic buildings going on in the San Diego area. Around the same time, Save Our Heritage Organisation worked with the Historical Site Board, the A.I.A (American Institution of Architects) and the San Diego Historical Society to purchase and restore Villa Montezuma. [2]
In 2009, Save Our Heritage Organisation celebrated its 40th anniversary. This milestone was marked by an award winning hour-long documentary titled Four Decades of Historic Preservation in San Diego County, by San Diego film maker and photographer Dan Soderberg. The film received a California Governor's Award for Historic Preservation. Also in 2009, they added the Marston House, a 1905 Arts and Crafts movement home, to their list of museums. [3]
Save Our Heritage Organisation maintains multiple museums and historic buildings including:
The group, for purposes of public education, has frequently created or sponsored historic home tours, lectures, and workshops. SOHO operates gift/book stores in two locations. The organization assembles an annual Most Endangered List, a local take on the National Trust's Eleven Most Endangered List. The group publishes a bimonthly e-newsletter and has a book publishing wing "Our Heritage Press". SOHO regularly acts as an adviser to smaller neighborhood advocacy groups.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is a state protected historical park in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California. The park commemorates the early days of San Diego; it includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. The park was established in 1968. In 2005 and 2006, California State Parks listed Old Town San Diego as the most visited state park in California.
Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philosophical concept that became popular in the twentieth century, which maintains that cities as products of centuries' development should be obligated to protect their patrimonial legacy. The term refers specifically to the preservation of the built environment, and not to preservation of, for example, primeval forests or wilderness.
The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum is a railroad museum in Campo, California, on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway line. The museum also owns and manages a railroad depot in La Mesa, California.
George White Marston was an American politician, department store owner, and philanthropist. Marston was involved with establishing Balboa Park, Presidio Park, and the San Diego Public Library. His contributions to San Diego earned him the affectionate title of "San Diego's First Citizen."
Mission Hills is a neighborhood in San Diego, California, United States. It is located on hills just south of the San Diego River valley and north of downtown San Diego and San Diego International Airport, overlooking downtown, Old Town, and San Diego Bay.
Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven districts: Gaslamp Quarter, East Village, Columbia, Marina, Cortez Hill, Little Italy, and Core.
Old Town is a neighborhood in San Diego, California. It contains 230 acres (93 ha) and is bounded by Interstate 8 on the north, Interstate 5 on the west, Mission Hills on the east and south. It is the oldest settled area in San Diego and is the site of the first European settlement in present-day California. It contains Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and Presidio Park, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Balboa Theatre is a historic movie and vaudeville theatre in downtown San Diego, California, United States. It was built in 1924. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, Balboa Theatre was refurbished and reopened as a performing arts venue in 2008.
Presidio Park is a city historic park in San Diego, California. It is the site where the San Diego Presidio and the San Diego Mission, the first European settlements in what is now the West Coast of the United States, were founded in 1769.
The Salt Box was a house built in the early 1880s in the Bunker Hill section of Los Angeles, California. Designed in the saltbox style that was popularized in New England, it was originally located at 339 South Bunker Hill Avenue. It was the home of physician Dr. A.G. Cook for most of the 1880s. In the late 19th century, Bunker Hill was one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Los Angeles and was the site of many elegant Victorian homes. The Los Angeles Times wrote of old Bunker Hill: "Nowhere else in Los Angeles was the architecture so ornate. The mansions were wooden-frame Victorian with Gothic gingerbread touches applied with a heavy hand to simulate masonry." Though not as elegant as many of its Victorian neighbors, the Salt Box was "cherished by architecture students for the simplicity of its design."
The Whaley House is a Greek Revival–style residence and museum in Old Town, San Diego, California. It is the oldest brick structure in Southern California, built in 1857. It is a California Historical Landmark No. 65 and is currently maintained by Historic Tours of America, Inc (HTA).
Heritage County Park is a county park in San Diego County, California, located near Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and measuring almost eight acres. It was developed to preserve examples of San Diego's historic Victorian architecture including Italianate, Stick-Eastlake, Queen Anne and classic revival styles. The properties were all relocated from their original locations with the help of San Diego County and Save Our Heritage Organisation.
The George W. Marston House is a museum and historic landmark in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It is maintained by Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO).
The Canfield–Wright House, known alternatively as Wrightland and The Pink Lady, is a historic structure in Del Mar, California. The private home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on May 14, 2004.
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California. Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The park hosts various museums, theaters, restaurants, and the San Diego Zoo. It is managed and maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Diego.
Guillermo Acevedo (1920–1988) was a Peruvian-born artist and master draftsman, most famous in the United States for his striking portrayal of Native Americans of the Southwest, and for his ability to capture and help preserve the disappearing architectural styles of old neighborhoods throughout the U.S. and abroad. Known to be an artist-observer with great sensitivity, Acevedo is recognized as a master at recording the human condition.
Marston's was a department store based in San Diego, California, and founded by city leader George Marston. It had a downtown main store on Sixth Street and opened two suburban branches before being sold to The Broadway in 1961.
Casa de López was a historical adobe building in San Diego, California, constructed in the early 1800s. The Casa de López site is a California Historical Landmark No. 60, listed on December 6, 1932. Often called la casa larga, or long house, it was built for the López family, early Spanish settlers of San Diego.
The Red Rest and the Red Roost, built in 1894, are historic beach cottages overlooking La Jolla Cove in La Jolla, San Diego, California. At one time, they were prime examples of the first-generation California bungalow. Their placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 has not prevented serious deterioration due to neglect.
Coast Walk Trail is a pedestrian trail along the bluffs above sea caves in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California.