OH! San Diego 2022
March 18-20, 2022

Mark your calendars – March 18-20, 2022, Open House San Diego will provide a behind-the-scenes look at notable architecture, public spaces, and more with guided and self-guided tours and curated experiences across 7 San Diego-area neighborhoods: Barrio Logan, City Heights, Coronado, Downtown, La Mesa, National City, and new for 2022 — UC San Diego!

Here’s a preview of what’s in store:

National City

For the second year, OH returns to this second-oldest city in San Diego County. This hidden gem offers a walkable downtown, Victorian architecture, truly outstanding parks, and award-winning architecture such as the National City Aquatic Center by Safdie Rabines Architects. Enjoy guided tours of buildings from the oldest – Kimball House, the home of National City’s founder, Frank Kimball, to the newest – Parco, an innovative mixed-use development with a sense of community.

The artist in all of us will enjoy a tour of local nonprofit A Reason To Survive (ARTS) creative spaces and maker workshop, with an exhibition of student work and an art activity for kids (while supplies last). We know touring makes you hungry, so plan to visit Market on 8th, a new food hall with all local operators, a wide variety of cuisine, and an outdoor beer garden.

City Heights

OH! 2022 also brings the opportunity to return to City Heights for a closer look. Join us for a guided tour of the Rob Wellington Quigley-designed Ocean Discovery Institute, a LEED-certified and zero net energy Living Laboratory using ocean science to empower and inspire young people from urban, underserved communities. For a look back at history, a guided walking tour will tell the story behind the neighborhood’s Egyptian, Art Deco, and Streamline Moderne architecture.

If you missed the Poplar Street Art Walk last year, you missed a great time. The Azalea Park neighborhood will show its stuff with murals, mosaics, music, and an opportunity to meet local artists. And don’t miss a guided exploration of the City Heights Canyons Loop Trail, a linear park linking five urban canyons. Along with these in-person experiences, there’s more to see on a self-guided tour of this culturally rich community, including a self-guided tour of Little Saigon, colorful murals, and a look inside a Buddhist temple.

UC San Diego

OH 2022 welcomes you to a new neighborhood for 2022 — UC San Diego! Recognized as one of the top 15 research universities worldwide, you’re invited to hop on the new blue line trolley to explore our crown jewel on the mesa.

The trolley conveniently stops just a short walk from the new Design Innovation Building and the Design Lab – this will be the OH! SD hub, and information about the World Design Capital 2024 will be presented. From there take a walking tour crossing by the Geisel Library, on to the Stuart Collection of public art (for fun, there’s even a scavenger hunt!), then along the Ridge Walk landscaped pathway to the new North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood. There’s even more in store for OH! 2022, but for a look back, here’s a fascinating chronology of the history of the campus dating back to 1903.

Read on to hear from our UC San Diego Neighborhood Sponsor Safdie Rabines, the design minds behind the new North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood.

La Mesa

The town that started with a spring is coming to life. This quiet suburb turned bustling neighborhood is making its return for a second year on the OH! San Diego tour and we’ve got lots in store for you!

New to the Open House experience this year is special guided tour of Briercrest Park led by architect Drew Hubbell, who will give attendees all of the insider information about the park’s Hubbell and Hubbell designed mosaic artworks, featuring fantastic dragons, butterflies and more.

In downtown La Mesa, the self-guided walking tour offers stops at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum and the McKinney House with docents on hand to answer all of your questions about the history of La Mesa’s railroads and neighborhoods. Looking for more in-depth history? On tap will also be a guided tour of downtown as well as a lecture on La Mesa’s Severin Grossmont Hills by author Richard Thomas Sweeney.

In case you need a refresher on what the people of La Mesa have been up to in modern times, check out our highlights video by the talented Paradeigm Films.

Downtown

An Open House! San Diego classic is returning: Downtown San Diego is always a popular neighborhood to explore, and this year it’s back on the tour. The area continues to grow an evolve as both a central business district and a vibrant residential community, and we’ve got lots to show you!

Focusing on the waterfront and its connection northward, for downtown this year OH! will feature a self-guided walking tour of some new hits along with some old favorites. Join us for a guided tour of the UC San Diego extension at Orchid winning project Park and Market, an exciting new hub of both academic and community activity. Take a stroll through Seaport Village, where new shops and restaurants indicate a major redevelopment coming in the years ahead.

In addition to the self-guided tour, a special guided tour of the San Diego Symphony’s new Rady Shell at Jacobs Park will also be offered. Designed by Tucker Sadler Architects, the Rady Shell includes a 13,000-square-foot performance space within a large shell-like overhang; seating for up to 10,000 guests; food and beverage service; and a public promenade around its perimeter. If you haven’t seen it yet, get ready to be impressed!

Thank you to our Downtown Neighborhood Sponsor Gafcon.

Coronado

Coronado made it’s Open House debut in 2020, and it was so popular it’s made the list again for 2022.
The “crown jewel” of the island is the Hotel del Coronado, established in 1888. OH visitors in 2020
received a preview of the Hotel del Coronado’s Master Plan, including work in progress to restore and
adaptively re-use industrial buildings on the site dating from the late 1880’s through the 1920’s. This
year, visitors will get a behind-the-scenes view as the revitalization nears completion, including guided
tours of the restoration of the resort’s classic front porch and hidden finds uncovered during restoration
of the industrial buildings. Coronado’s rich historic past also be on display with a guided walking tour led
by docents from the Coronado Historical Association. And for a look at how the past meets the present,
join an architect-led tour by domusstudio architecture to see how the firm thoughtfully adapted an
Irving Gill-designed Chapel Hall and Parish to serve a modern-day congregation.

Thank you to Coronado’s Neighborhood Sponsor, Del Coronado Realty.

There’s more to come . . . To stay in the know, sign up for updates