|
Bungalow Courts: The Original Affordable, Transit-Oriented Housing
September/October 2020
The University Heights Historical Society has been working with City of San Diego Historic Preservation Planning staff and SOHO since 2015 to identify and assess bungalow courts throughout University Heights for historic integrity, and to include them in the Historic Preservation Elements of both the North Park and Uptown Community Plans.
The July City Historical Resources Board meeting began with good news: The City recently received a $40,000 grant from the state Office of Historic Preservation to develop a bungalow court and garden apartment historic context statement! The grants, funded with federal dollars, are competitive.
Almost 70 bungalow courts have been identified throughout University Heights. University Heights Historical Society volunteers, Kristin Harms and Randi Vita, are now working to evaluate the historic integrity of each bungalow court using more than a dozen criteria.
Bungalow courts were developed throughout Southern California, including San Diego, primarily from 1920 to 1950 to offer residents an attractive, affordable cottage with its own yard, a central courtyard, and neighborly orientation. Bungalow courts come in many architectural styles but the most common in San Diego are Spanish Revival and Arts and Crafts. However, examples of Egyptian Revival, Mission Revival, Pueblo, Moorish Revival, Art Deco/Moderne, and 1950s modern styles can also be found in San Diego.
The rise of inexpensive and widespread public transportation in the early 1900s, in the form of streetcar or trolley lines, facilitated and promoted the development of these courts, providing housing and transportation for employees in a rapidly changing workplace. In San Diego and throughout Southern California, the majority of bungalow courts were built along streetcar lines.
"Bungalow courts are important not only because they represent a finite collection of historical resources, but also because they are San Diego's original affordable housing located near to transit lines," stated Kristin Harms, President of the University Heights Historical Society.
The University Heights Historical Society will continue working with City staff and SOHO to identify and assess this finite collection of historical resources to make sure they are accurately represented in the North Park and Uptown Community Plans. We expect this will lead to the preservation and protection of this highly livable and desirable type of housing.
|
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
|
