| Kensington
is named for a borough in London, England, and its pioneering
subdivision dates back to 1910. Developers designed this unique
neighborhood based on its geography and the non-standard layout due to
its location on a narrow peninsula isolated on three sides by steep
slopes, much of which is dedicated open space. Kensington offers a
miniature "Main Street" along Adams Avenue, replete with coffee shops,
restaurants, a branch library and the regionally famous Ken Theatre.
With its stone gateways, ornamental lighting, and curving streets, the
neighborhood is a strong candidate for designation as a historical
district.
| Normal Heights
was named for the San Diego Normal School, a teacher's
college that was the forerunner to San Diego State University. A
major early influence on the community was Bertram J. Carteri,
who arrived in 1926 and began to build single-family bungalows.
With the restoration of the trolley line in the early 1920s,
Carteri began to build what is now known as the Carteri Center
on Adams Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, which has been
declared a potential historic district. The most significant
structure is the Louis L. Gill designed bungalow court first
named El Sueño; now known as Santa Rosa Court.The Normal Heights
Community is made up of three neighborhoods, which are Adams
North, Adams Park, and Cherokee Park. Adams North is developed
as a predominately single-family neighborhood, while Adams Park
and Cherokee Park include a broader mix of single-family homes,
older apartment courts and large apartment developments.
University Heights was
developed in the late 1800’s on the promise of being the home of
San Diego’s first college. The college plans fell through, but
the name stuck and eventually a college was built here--a
teacher’s college, or Normal School as it was called in those
days. However, it was the botanical garden and ostrich farm that
brought urban dwellers here for an outing on the edge of town in
the early 1900’s. |
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