Geisel Library at the University of California San Diego. Archive photograph, 2008; not a record of current conditions. Photo: belisario (Flickr) · CC BY-SA 2.0. Source · CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped for layout.
Buildings & ideas
Architecture
A closer reading of the modern city, from East County churches to the research campuses of La Jolla.
Modern San Diego: a 17-stop architecture guide
Seventeen modern architecture stops across five San Diego regions, revisiting Darren Bradley’s 2020 Design Week tour with historical context, source notes and visiting cautions.
Five regions. Seventeen stops.
A complete, carefully attributed companion to San Diego Design Week’s 2020 itinerary. Historical observations sit alongside their source notes, not in place of present-day access information.
From the journal
Longer looks at the buildings shaping San Diego.
The Botanical Building: architecture that lets the garden lead
Read Balboa Park’s Botanical Building through its redwood lath, restored arcades and living collection, with a practical guide to looking beyond the postcard.
At the Salk Institute, the space between buildings does the work
Explore Louis Kahn’s Salk Institute through its courtyard, adaptable laboratories and carefully handled materials, with official guidance for planning a visit.
Santa Fe Depot: a civic room built around arrival
Look beyond Santa Fe Depot’s tiled towers to its arcades, waiting room and railway history, then plan a downtown visit using the operator’s station information.