Distinction is Our Opportunity
Built in 1939, the building’s architecture mirrors a Spanish mission with an open floor plan encouraging circulation, traffic flow, and social engagement. The unexpected mix of styles, including Classical Revival, Churriqueresque, Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean Revival, and Pueblo Deco conjures the magic of a romantic Mediterranean get-a-way. This inspired architectural and functional design has earned it a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. True to its legacy as part of San Diego culture, this reinvented landmark is poised to become the premiere destination for dining, shopping and entertainment on the waterfront.
The Architecture
Seen at the North entrance of OPH, the arch’s elaborate detail is unforgettable.
The Architecture
The Old Police Headquarters is an unusual mix of five distinct architectural styles reflecting San Diego’s heritage. The dramatic main arch, on Harbor Drive, is built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and contains the tower where San Diego police officers watched for enemy aircraft during WW II. The intimate Mediterranean arch faces Kettner Boulevard, and the ornate Churrigueresque arch faces Pacific Highway. Each section of Old Police Headquarters can stand on its own architectural and artistic merit, but together these styles form a masterpiece of Southern California architecture.
Inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome, the Classical Revival style is commonly found in government building architecture, especially where law and justice are administered.
Churrigueresque is a style distinguished by expressive detailing over main entrances and recalls twelfth to fifteenth century Moorish buildings in southern Spain. This style became popular again after use in the 1915 Panama-California Exposition celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal.
Spanish Colonial Revival architecture shares many elements with the very closely-related Mission Revival and Pueblo styles of the West and Southwest, and is strongly informed by the same Arts & Crafts Movement. Characterized by a combination of detail from several eras of Spanish and Mexican architecture, the style is marked by stucco wall and chimney finishes, low-pitched clay tile roofs, and terra cotta or cast concrete ornaments.
The Mediterranean Revival style became popular when Maxfield Parrish paintings and movie sets of the 1920’s showed idealized visions of sixteenth century Italian Renaissance palaces. Found predominantly in California and Florida, ornamentation in this style can range from simple to dramatic, and may draw from a number of Mediterranean references.
Pueblo Deco architecture combines the grace of Native American designed pueblos with low, exotic Art Deco lines and is characterized by the use of geometric pattern.
The Gardens
Rows of palms, historic trees, and intimate plantings only begin to describe the extensive palette of vibrant colors and rich texture that embrace the Old Police headquarters visitor. Integral to the shopping and dining experience, Old Police Headquarters is home to over an acre of lush urban gardens and landscaped plazas, professionally designed to create a resonating sense of place to linger and enjoy.
