Master Class II

San Diego Modernism 1980-2020

Featured Speaker: Diane Kane, PhD, AICP

San Diego Modernism 1980-2020 (Updated June 25, 2022)

San Diego-Tijuana has been recently honored as the 2024 World Design Capital. This biennial designation by the World Design Organization recognizes cities for their effective use of design to drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development.

Join Architectural Historian Diane Kane and a roster of distinguished guests to examine San Diego’s design legacy since 1980. This 6-part series kicks off preparation for 2024 festivities, when San Diego will showcase its “best practices” in design-led urban innovation. Add your voice to the conversation to determine whether San Diego has “reinvented itself through design.” Your experience, perspectives and insight are welcome.

1. The 80’s: Late Modernism, Post-Modernism, Preservation (Tuesday August 2, 2022)

Both urban renewal and Post-Modernism appeared in a splashy new Horton Plaza, while the Gas Lamp provided a preservation success story. Local architects Rob Quigley and Ted Smith invented “Blendo,” an ad hoc vernacular approach to small infill projects, while nationally prominent Starchitects Robert Venturi, Michael Graves and Robert Stern showcased Post-Modern Classicism in its ironic glory. How did architecture’s stylistic upheaval manifest in San Diego during the 80s?

Confirmed Panelists: Rob Quigley, Ted Smith, Mike Stepner, Angeles Leira,

2. The 90’s: Downtown Redevelopment & City of Villages (Wednesday August 10, 2022)

New plans for the Urban Core, Marina and Little Italy re-envisioned our city center. But implementation of large projects, like the Convention Center, Airport Expansion, Library and Ballpark stalled in controversy. Was San Diego “America’s Finest City,” or a collection of villages with a small-town mentality?

Confirmed Panelists: Jonathan Segal, Gail Goldberg, Wayne Donaldson,

3. 2000: Urbanizing the Future Urbanized Area (Wednesday August 17, 2022)

Agency collaboration between San Diego and Caltrans created several master planned communities along the I-56 Corridor, along with watershed wildlife corridors mandated by a court-ordered construction moratorium. The resulting Multiple Species Conservation Plan achieved national acclaim. How well has this ambitious plan fared in implementation? What do its successes and misses tell us about long-range planning, environmental sustainability and population growth?

Confirmed Panelists: Keith Greer, Lesley Henegar (invited), Frisco White (invited)

4. 2010: High-Tech, Eco-Tech & Minimalism (Wednesday August 24, 2022)

Modern Architecture split into various expressions that were manifested locally in projects large and small. Woodbury School of Design’s program to train architect-developers resulted in quirky infill projects, UCSD expanded with an impressive array of modernist structures, and San Diego’s bio-tech industry looked for new spaces to grow fledgling companies. East Village and Barrio Logan became “Maker’s Quarters” with youthful energy and cross-border inspiration.

Confirmed Panelists: Mark Steele, Safdie-Rabines; Gordon Carrier (invited), Jennifer Luce (invited)

5. 2020: Complete Communities: Where we will all live? (Wednesday August 31, 2022)

In 2020, the City announced a shift in planning tactics, termed “Complete Communities,” that re-directs suburban growth into “High Quality Transit Corridors.” Involving regional transportation, higher density housing and a new Parks Plan, how will this effort change San Diego’s land use patterns and mobility? How will it promote environmental sustainability? How will it enhance neighborhood character, livability and equity?

Invited Panelists: Heidi von Blum, Susan Baldwin, Colin Parent, Andrew Malick

6. San Diego-Tijuana 2024 World Design Capital: Design Forward? (Tuesday September 1, 2022)

Recent projects in East Village, Little Italy and Mission Valley provide clues to new thinking about using architectural design to enhance higher density living with environmental sustainability. New approaches involve a Blendo re-hash of playful color, framed building parts and mixed materials. Others seek a Minimalist Zen aesthetic with muted colors, sleek surfaces and refined details. A third uses high-tech components in a no-frills approach to achieve environmental goals. Is there a “San Diego School of Architecture?” that expresses our regional identity?

Confirmed Panelists: Marco Sessa, Glen Schmidt, Pauly de Bartolo (invited), Howard Blackson (invited), Marco Li Mandri (invited)

Presenter Biography

Diane Kane, an architectural historian, is a retired Senior Planner for the City of San Diego. Previously, she was the Heritage Resources Coordinator for Caltrans in Los Angeles. She is a six-term Trustee of the California Preservation Foundation and chairs the Preservation Committee of the La Jolla Historical Society. A popular lecturer at Osher, she has taught architectural history and planning at several southland universities. She received her PhD in architectural history from UC Santa Barbara.

Coordinator: Steve Clarey