PC-000-948

Picture postcard of first building in "Gray Castle" period of San Diego High School

 

1900s

 

Bardell-O'Neill, Fototone, San Francisco

The back of this unused and unusual postcard marks it as one of a series produced as part of promotional photography for the Southern Pacific Railroad between 1890 and 1910. Marked "On the Road of a Thousand Wonders," this card has what appears to be a photograph inset into a frame that can be felt on both the front and the back of the card. The brown frame around the front is textured. A spur from the route of the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad route between Omaha and San Francisco came as far south as San Diego, as a map from their book The Overland Route to the Road of a Thousand Wonders from 1908 shows. The old San Diego High School was replaced by this Gothic Revival building known as the "Grey Castle," designed by F. S. Allen (1860-1934), with construction starting in 1906. Construction continued beyond this original building, with cornerstones for others laid in 1912, the stadium built in 1914, in 1922 and 1923 separate gymnasiums for men and women, and an auditorium in 1926. After Callifornia legislation in the 1960s required the razing of all school buildings built prior to 1933, due to earthquake concerns, architect Richard G. Wheeler (1917-1990) was retained in 1970 to design a new school. Demolition and construction proceeded simultaneously on different buildings starting in 1973 and ending with occupation of all four new buildings in 1977.

San Diego High School; San Diego; Gray Castle; F. S. Allen; High schools; Advertisements; Southern Pacific Railroad

1405 Park Boulevard

California - San Diego

 

 

MS-0008

English

Eno & Matteson

Postcard

3.5 inches x 5.5 inches

No

The Overland Route to the Road of a Thousand Wonders, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Passenger Departments, 1908, map in front; Journal of San Diego History, Spring 1982, v 28, #2, R. G. Wheeler "San Diego High School"

[hand printed at bottom superimposed on photograph]
High School - San Diego, Cal. 133
Pub. by Eno & Matteson

 

Image

TIFF

20.14 MB