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Alvaro Ortiz
Alvaro Ortiz bought an 1897 Queen Anne Victorian house in the City of San Diego’s Sherman Heights Historic District, a neighborhood representing architecture history and diverse community culture, in November 2021, mid-pandemic. The two-story house with bay windows had been vacant for nearly 25 years and hadn’t seen a paint brush in over three decades. Termites, dry rot, lead paint, a sagging wood foundation, and other problems had ravaged the old home. Replacing rotted cast-iron plumbing pipes led him to recycle more than 300 pounds of metal. Armed with a master’s degree in architecture, strength and determination, and neighborhood pride, Ortiz set about the laborious restoration process. Before transforming his corner house with rich and beautiful period-appropriate paint colors, he replaced or restored exterior doors and windows, vintage glass, and woodwork and intricate trim. Surprised neighbors old and new who had written off the decaying house continue to stop by to share their memories of the house and to compliment his work. He’s keeping the house’s historic interior mostly intact and has refinished and saved the antique wood floors and existing trim. For repairs, he ordered timber in species and dimensions true to its original 19th century specs. Despite delays and setbacks associated with Covid-19, the house is once again gleaming with Victorian splendor. Top Alvaro Ortiz (on right) and husband James Donaghe Scroll to view more photos 
 All 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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