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SOHO President's Message
By David W. Goldberg
July/August 2020
 David Goldberg speaking at SOHO's 2016 People In Preservation awards event. |
It's hard to believe how much the world has changed in the last two months! We truly are living through unprecedented times. Fortunately, SOHO is a nimble organization with decades of institutional knowledge and extensive experience successfully dealing with sudden, unanticipated changes. Always open to new lessons and cultural information, we will prevail.
Among the many challenges was the fast-approaching annual People In Preservation (PIP) awards event on May 21, 2020. Since state and local COVID-19 guidelines precluded it from being held at the Marston House, as in prior years, SOHO needed an alternative solution. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, the work and creativity of staff, and collaboration with the winners, PIP became SOHO's first-ever online celebration.
If you haven't had a chance to check it out, please do. Each impressive award is shown as a distinct presentation with video, writeup, and current and historic photos. This format makes it easy to watch when convenient, then to come back later without having to scroll through one long file. Just click on the winner's link where you left off.
As disappointing as the shutdown of all SOHO managed historic sites has been, some good is coming out of it—the chance to catch up on upkeep and maintenance. Historic structures—as anyone who's ever lived in an old house knows—require constant attention. At the Whaley House, repair and restoration of the faux graining is underway. Historically correct oil paints are being used, which require time to dry, and for odors and fumes to dissipate. Maintenance like this is difficult to perform when visitors are constantly streaming through the house.
We're also undertaking a full interior painting and renovation of the lean-to kitchen, and hand washing of the lace drapes. By the way, if a final pressing is needed, I'll be happy to loan my great-grandmother Steele's cast-iron sad irons for the job—time proven technology that still works great today. Just fire up the wood stove…
After 20 years of SOHO management, the Whaley House has never looked better. When SOHO took over operations in September 2000, the house was deteriorating and only sporadically open to the public. Ongoing historically accurate research, maintenance, and repairs have transformed the Whaley House into one of the finest and best-run house museums in the nation. Plus, pre-COVID-19 public attendance has never been greater. Over the years, SOHO has developed tremendous expertise in the management of historic structures and the running of house museums. This is something we can all take great pride in.
Lastly, I would like to bid a fond farewell to Jaye MacAskill and her husband, Joe. Jaye has been actively involved in SOHO for most of the 16-plus years she's lived in San Diego, serving as SOHO's president during the period when saving Balboa Park was the front-burner issue. She rose to the occasion with skill, admirable grace, and good humor. She will be missed. Please join me in wishing Jaye and Joe all the best as they start their new life in Burlington, Vermont in a two-story wooden commercial/residential building constructed in 1899.
Hopefully, I'll see you around our beautiful and historic San Diego before too long. Stay healthy and safe.
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