Heritage Park

Location: 2454 Heritage Park Row
Old Town Village
Old Town San Diego, CA (map)
Phone: (619) 298-4707
More info: : Website

Heritage Park Highlights

Heritage Park near San Diego State Historic Park in Old Town keeps the architectural history of San Diego alive.

When expansion of downtown San Diego after WWII threatened the city’s historic Victorian homes, seven of them were saved from the wrecking ball and relocated to Heritage Park over a 25 year period. This 7.8-acre park preserves examples of San Diego’s Victorian architecture including Italianate, Stick-Eastlake, Queen Anne and Classic Revival styles.

Italianate

Italianate homes were typically two to three stories in height, with flat or hip roofs, bay windows with inset wooden panels, corner boards and two over two double-hung windows.

Bushyhead House — 1887

The Bushyhead house belonged to Edward Wilkerson Bushyhead. Bushyhead was part Cherokee Indian and survived the brutal journey on the “trail of tears” as a young boy.Bushyhead traveled to California during the gold rush and served as San Diego sheriff and chief of police in addition to being part owner of the San Diego Union newspaper, which published its first edition near the Plaza in Old Town on October 10, 1868.

Stick-Eastlake

Stick-Eastlake structures were built simple and look relatively modern. Stick houses are characterized by a large, ornamental truss under the gable eaves of a house. Eastlake houses were named for British architect and arts writer Charles Eastlake and featured more decoration. The two styles merged to be called "Stick-Eastlake."

McConaughy House — 1887

This two story house is named for its owner, John McConaughy, founder of the first regularly-scheduled freight and passenger service in San Diego County.

Sherman-Gilbert House — 1887

The Sherman-Gilbert House is a distinctive structure contains a "widow's walk" cupola or belvedere and circular window. The house was occupied from 1892 to 1965 by Bess and Gertrude Gilbert, spinster sisters who patronized local art and music.

Queen Anne

Queen Anne style houses were composed of towers, dormers, bay windows, and corbelled chimneys. Wall surfaces such as coursed shingles, clapboards, and inset panels of sawn wooden ornament were combined with irregular roof lines and decorative wrap-around porches.

Christian House — 1889

This late Victorian design was built by Harfield Timberlake Christian, the founder of an early San Diego abstract company.

Classical Revival

The Classical Revival architectural style was an analytical, scientific style with a dogmatic adherence to Greek and Roman influences.

Temple Beth Israel — 1889

Temple Beth Israel was San Diego's first synagogue and was constructed by the Congregation Beth Israel. It is now operated by San Diego County as a community center.

Burton House — 1893

Burton House was built by Henry Guild Burton, a retired Army physician and continued a trend within Classic Revival that had, by the turn of the century, begun to reduce or even eliminate decoration.

19th Century Vernacular

Senlis Cottage — 1896

This modest cottage was built for Eugene Senlis, an employee of San Diego pioneer horticulturist Kate Sessions, the "Mother of Balboa Park"
Senlis’s house does not include modern amenities such as gas, electricity, water, or sewer, and is an example of average working-class dwellings in the 1880s.

Heritage Park is aptly named. The beautiful homes that have been rescued from the past offer tourists and San Diego locals a glimpse into the important history of this great city.