San Diego Athletic Club facts for kids
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San Diego Athletic Club
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View from A Street
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 Location in San Diego County, California
Location in southern California
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| Location | 1250 Sixth Avenue, San Diego, California 92101 |
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| Area | less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) Downtown San Diego |
| Built | 1928 |
| Built by | Jarboe Construction Company |
| Architect | Wheeler, William H.; Loveless, Ilton E. et al. |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000130 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Conversion to city center | 1994 |
| Added to NRHP | April 3, 2013 |
The San Diego Athletic Club is a very old and important building in Downtown San Diego. It has had many names, like the HBJ Building and the World Trade Center San Diego Building. This building was first built in 1928 as a special club for sports and activities. Over the years, it changed its purpose several times. In the 1960s, it became office spaces. Then, in 1994, it was used as a city center. More recently, in the 2010s, it became a place that helps people who are experiencing homelessness. It now offers shelter and medical care.
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Discovering the Building's Features
When the San Diego Athletic Club first opened in 1928, people were very excited about it. News reports at the time described it as a tall, 13-story building. It was made from strong reinforced concrete, which is a type of concrete with steel bars inside to make it extra tough.
What Was Inside?
The club had many cool features for its members. There were 96 bedrooms for people to stay in. It also had two solariums, which are sunny rooms with lots of windows. For sports, there were four handball courts and a large gymnasium. Members could also enjoy a swimming pool.
The building also had a big lounge area and a dining room. There was even a separate dining room and lounge just for women. Women also had their own special entrance on A Street. The club was built for about $850,000, which was a lot of money back then! Later on, some news articles said the building actually had 12 stories instead of 13.
Unique Design and Art
The San Diego Athletic Club has a special shape that looks like a ziggurat. A ziggurat is a type of ancient building with a wide base that gets smaller as it goes up, like steps. Inside, the building has beautiful painted ceilings called frescoes in what used to be the dining room.
There's also a grand staircase that was carefully fixed up during a recent renovation. You can find sculptures of Paris and Helen of Troy inside. These sculptures were made by an artist named Katherine June Stafford. Plans are in place to restore or rebuild these important artworks.
The Building's Journey Through Time
The idea for the San Diego Athletic Club started in 1924. A man named Colonel Ed Fletcher helped to create the club and provided money to get it started. Other important people who helped set up the club included George Marston, Claus Spreckels, Milton A. McRae, and Ralph E. Jenney. Colonel Fletcher became the club's first president.
Grand Opening and Early Challenges
When the club first opened, it was a huge event. They held dinner-dances and open houses for members and their guests. More than 10,000 people came to see the new club!
However, the club soon faced difficulties. During the Great Depression, a time when many people lost their jobs and money, the club ran into financial problems. It was even renamed the San Diego Club. In the 1940s, there were worries that the club might have to close because of its debts. But it managed to keep going until the 1960s.
From Club to Offices and City Center
In the mid-1960s, the club finally closed. The building was then changed into offices for a company called Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. After this company moved out, they gave the building to the City of San Diego in 1993.
In 1994, the City of San Diego and the Port of San Diego worked together. They decided to make the building a San Diego center for the World Trade Centers Association. The city hoped that renting out parts of the building for businesses would bring in a lot of money. The city also moved some of its own staff, like people from the Parks and Recreation Department, into the building.
Helping the Community Today
In 2010, the City of San Diego announced new plans for the building. They wanted to use it to help people who were experiencing homelessness. The idea was to provide homes and support for up to 225 people. The city also thought about selling the building to a housing group to help run the program.
By 2012, a company called Turner Construction Company spent $24 million to fix up the building. They worked to make it look like it did when it was first built. The main goal was to turn it into a homeless shelter. An organization called Affirmed Housing bought the building from the city for $4 million and helped get the rest of the money needed. Besides offering housing, the center now has a medical clinic and a place for social services to help people.
See also
