Customer Reviews

San Diego Architecture from Mission to Modern: Guide to the Buildings, Planning, People, and Spaces That Shape the Region

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Handy to have around. Certainly the most comprehensive (and only) guide to San Diego architecture that I've been able to find. Well organized with plenty of pictures and addresses. Also contains several mini-narratives of regional history.

Sutro isn't biased towards one or more specific time periods as compared to other time periods. This suprised me, but I guess it reflects his attempt to be even handed (I also noted that the Publisher is supported by several developers). Whatever, Sutro's credentials are bonafide as a journalist, so I won't quibble.

Still, it was a little bit shocking to hear him waxing enthusiasticly about some of the more recent condo developments downtown.

Also, I saw an unaddressed picture of a Victorian in the Bankers Hill section of the book that has been moved to Golden Hill. I wasn't sure what was up with that.

Perhaps the coolest part of this book is reading about the past (often bawdy) history of some of the buildings in Downtown and the East Village. For instance, they used to keep zoo animals in the basement of the Granger Building (5th and Broadway), and the Jerome's Furniture warehouse at fifteenth and Broadway was once a venue where people watched boxing and wrestling matches!

Another highlight is his section on the East County region. I was fairly dissapointed with the coverage of areas like Del Mar and National City.

All criticism aside, the subject matter, clear organization and over all usefulnesss make this book a "must have" for anyone interested in the subject.

This book has been a great find. It is well organized with buildings grouped in sections based on their neighborhood or community location--39 different divisions. Each section provides a building-coded map and a brief but good overview of the area. The biggest plus--a photo for EACH building, unfortunately not always a feature of architectural guidebooks.

This is a fine book -- I already took two of the walking tours and it was very enjoyable to see new places in neighborhoods I thought I knew so well. The author really did his homework, and it shows in the introductions to each area--good, clear writing is so rare these days. Plus the color photographs are excellent and there is one for every listing!

This is a nice book. It's well organized, with insightful essays and thorough geographic coverage. It includes at least one color photograph for each entry. But the entries themselves will determine whether you like this book or not. Deco and Modernism rule the roost for this author, and the selection of buildings reveals that. It's not a guide of historic architecture, per se. Sure, you'll find the obligatory gaslamp district, Old Town and Balboa Park in here, but not the subtler more hidden gems scattered around Bankers Hill, Olive Park or Hillcrest. There is also a heavy emphasis on domestic architecture, which leaves enthusiasts of traditional religious and academic buildings (such as myself) somewhat disappointed.

Very dissapointing. I expected a detailed architecture book of San Diegan monuments and buildings. Instead, I found it to be no more than a sub-par tourinsm guide. It has small pictures and just over caption size amounts of information. Do youself a favor save your money. You would be better of taking the next San Diego travel brosure you find. At least you'll get more information. :(