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SOHO Recognized in 2026 City of San Diego Historic Preservation Awards
July/August 2026
 Save Our Heritage Organisation President David Goldberg, alongside SOHO board member Janet O’Dea, accepts one of two City of San Diego Historic Preservation Awards that SOHO received during National Preservation Month, May 2026. Flanking them are Historical Resources Board Chairperson Kristi Byers and Vice-Chairperson Rammy Cortez, with other HRB members in the background. Courtesy City of San Diego
This past May, during National Preservation Month, SOHO was honored as one of the recipients of the 2026 City of San Diego Historic Preservation Awards, presented at the City's Historical Resources Board meeting.
For SOHO, this recognition centers on two areas of work that reflect what we do every day: hands-on preservation and restoration of historic places, and public education that helps people understand why those places matter in the first place.
We received one award for the exterior restoration of the Marston House and its garden walls and structures, a City-owned resource. This accomplishment represented years of seeking funds and then, with careful planning, a significant restoration effort focused on stabilizing and repairing the site’s most visible exterior features.
Anyone who knows the Marston House Museum & Gardens understands how much history is embedded in its brick, wood, garden walls, and terraces. The work that SOHO, led by Executive Director Bruce Coons, identified and supervised helped extend its life, strengthened what time and weather had worn down, and ensured the house and gardens continue to welcome the public for decades to come.
Every decision was guided by preservation best practices, with repair prioritized over replacement wherever possible. The result: a preserved resource that reflects continuity, authenticity, and stewardship.
Just as important as the physical work was the approach behind it. A key part of this project’s success was our financial stewardship. SOHO absorbed all project design, oversight, and administrative costs, ensuring that every dollar of the state grant was directed entirely to the physical restoration.
Working closely with Spectra, a responsive, experienced contractor, was also essential to the project’s success, as their understanding of the realities of a small, nonprofit museum allowed the work to proceed within tight financial and operational constraints without compromising preservation standards.
SOHO has used this funding approach effectively in the past, as overhead can often dilute impact. Our method keeps resources focused where they matter most: on the building itself. Grounded in stewardship, this method maximizes limited resources, minimizes waste, and guarantees that public investment results in tangible, lasting preservation work.
The City also awarded SOHO’s ongoing series of self-guided tours in booklet form. These thoroughly researched and illustrated publishing projects may not involve scaffolding or construction, but they are very much the stuff of preservation and advocacy work. Each one is an effort to document, interpret, and share the stories of San Diego’s historic places, whether it’s Mid-Century Modernist neighborhoods, WPA-era design, campus architecture, or cultural landscapes that are often overlooked. These tours embody two of SOHO’s intertwined priorities: hands-on preservation and public interpretation.
These geographically wide-ranging tours constitute a growing free library of accessible, educational resources. People can use them on their own time, in their own way, by walking neighborhoods or exploring sites in person or online with context that helps them see history's layers and complexities.
We are grateful to the City of San Diego for including SOHO among this year’s honorees, and especially grateful for the many partners, professionals, volunteers, and supporters who make our work possible. Preservation is never a solo effort, and nothing we do happens in isolation.
SOHO congratulates all of the 2026 award recipients. Here is a list of the other winners and their restoration and renovation projects:
- Renovation of the County Administration Center to the County of San Diego, SILLMAN Architects, Milford Wayne Donaldson, RTD Construction Management Corp., Turner Construction Company, and BWE Inc.
- Granger Hotel to LPA Design Studios and Orem Hotels
- Ruth Lindley/Nathan Rigdon House to Betty Willis, Larson Design Services, Benjamin R. Teeter Contractor, and MCR Contracting
- Kelner Residence to Kim Grant Design, Inc., Greg Kelner, and Tony Parker
- Hailey Residence to Rob and Kathy Hailey, Kim Grant Design, Inc., Kiley Wallace, and Paige Hailey
- California State Building (now the San Diego Automotive Museum) and Balboa Park Palisades Rehabilitation—Coordinated Preservation Projects to RTK Studios, Balboa Park Committee of 100, Barnhart Reese Construction, Travis Nixon, Bellagio Precast, Robert Thiele, Tony Court, Susan Buck, Ph.D., Natasha Loeblich, David Marshall, and Milford Wayne Donaldson
- Alvarado Water Treatment Plant Mural Restoration to the City of San Diego, Heritage Architecture and Planning, RECON Environmental, and Balboa Art Conservation Center
In addition, the City honored architect Robert Thiele and Timothy Hutter, the immediate past chair of the City’s Historical Resources Board.
Every one of these awards represents a historic place that has been defended, restored, or better understood. Together, they reflect the ongoing, collective work of preserving San Diego’s historic fabric in a rapidly changing city, and, ultimately, strengthening San Diego as a whole.
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