San Diego Museum of Art

1450 El Prado, San Diego, CA

The San Diego Museum of Art began when businessman Appleton Bridges saw the need for a permanent art museum in San Diego and funded construction in 1922. Inspired by the buildings from the 1915 Exposition, Bridges enlisted renowned architect William Templeton Johnson to design what was originally called the “Fine Arts Gallery.” In creating the impressive structure, the architects borrowed design motifs from 16th century Spain.

In response to substantial levels of deterioration on the Museum of Art’s exterior, the City of San Diego requested that Heritage provide architectural services to evaluate the condition of the highly ornamental, cast-stone facades. Our report led to repairs that stabilized and restored the ornamentation, as well as replication of features that could not be repaired. Heritage prepared construction documents, oversaw the bidding process and performed construction observation services. In addition to this award-winning project, Heritage has been retained to assess security upgrades to the facility as well as a preliminary design to improve the front entrance of the museum.