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Hillcrest Commercial Core The commercial core of Hillcrest grew up along a streetcar line during San Diego's early 20th-century building boom, when the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in nearby Balboa Park fueled rapid suburban expansion. Hillcrest's historic character remains relatively unchanged since its early years, with one- to three-story structures filled with street-level shops, banks, and restaurants and a mix of apartments and businesses above. A variety of early 20th-century architectural styles along the main corridors include Spanish and Mission Revival, and Art Deco. Throughout the core, many original single-family Victorian and Arts and Crafts era residences still stand, although many have been converted to multi-residential and commercial uses. Its long-documented embrace of the LGBTQ and art and literary communities lends a bohemian vibe and a sense of urbanity within a walkable, village-like atmosphere. However, in recent years, a surge in development interests and political lobbying has become a major threat to the historic neighborhood. A group of commercial property owners formed the Uptown Gateway project, pushing for a 200-foot or more height limit to build high-rises that would dwarf Hillcrest. Redeveloping entire blocks of this dense community will eliminate the very character, historic resources, and significant links to its LGBTQ and cultural heritage that drew people here in the first place. SOHO has joined Mission Hills Heritage in legal action to protect the Uptown area, including Hillcrest, from profiteers who are poised to destroy the human scale and authenticity that have historically made it a unique, welcoming, and magnetic place to live, visit, and work. (Scroll to view more photos)                Historic photos courtesy Vintage San Diego, current day photos by Sandé Lollis |
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Mailing - PO Box 80788 · San Diego CA 92138 | Offices - 3525 Seventh Avenue · San Diego CA 92103
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