Monthly Archive for July, 2012

Orchids & Onions

Published on July 27, 2012 in News and Updates. 0 Comments

We’re very proud to announce that Class 1 streetcar #138 has been nominated for an Orchid Award from the San Diego Architectural Foundation in the category of historic preservation! This is truly an honor for our organization.

It’s hard to deny that these streetcars are absolute architectural marvels. The Class 1s were designed and built at a time when everything was crafted with much thought and exquisite artistry. These Arts & Crafts originals were streetcars on the technological cutting edge, but the true spirit of their epoch can be found in the fine details of their construction. From their fine cherry wood interiors, warm yellow paint jobs, solid bronze hardware, gold-leaf decoration, and mother-of-pearl push buttons, the Class 1 streetcars were truly designed as both practical people mover and beautiful works of art.

Our organization has put in a lot of work in restoring Class 1 #138 to reveal that beauty, as you can see from the before and after photo below— but our work isn’t done yet! We take this nomination as a much appreciated recognition of our work thus far, but we hope to see these historic landmarks serving San Diego once again as a practical form of transportation.

Until then, be sure to follow our Orchid nomination and give us a vote for the People’s Choice Award on their website. I’ll be sure to remind you once the voting begins!

Before & After: Compare Class 1 #138 when it was re-discovered in 1996 to what it looks like today!

South Park Walkabout

Published on July 16, 2012 in Events. 0 Comments

Yep, historic streetcars are this much fun.

We had a blast at the South Park Summer Walkabout. These events are always a great time in one of San Diego’s best neighborhoods. Special thanks to Marsha Smelkinson of the South Park Business Group and to Sam Chammas, owner of The Station and The Whistle Stop, for helping make this happen— we hope to see you again soon!

Seeing Class 1 #138 back in a community it used to service always rekindles our drive to keep pushing forward on our goal of returning these San Diego historic treasures to the rail in our uptown and downtown neighborhoods. We hope you’ll all join us in those efforts. Find out how you can get involved over at our website and check out the photos from the Walkabout below.

Summer Fun With the Class 1s

Published on July 13, 2012 in Events. 0 Comments

Summer fun with Class 1 streetcar #138

We’ve got some fun summer community outreach events coming up here at San Diego Historic Streetcars. We hope you’ll come get a look at beautiful Class 1 # 138 and learn about the progress in our efforts to restore these San Diego historic treasures to our streets!

Friday, July 13th / 20th / 27th, August 3rd, Summer in the Park Concert Series. The concert series at Trolley Barn park in University Heights is always a good time. We’ll be working a table there each Friday from 6pm-8pm, so come out and enjoy some free live music and talk streetcars with us!

Saturday, July 14th, South Park Summer Walkabout. Class 1 #138 will be out on the corner of Ivy and Fern in South Park for the South Park Summer Walkabout from 6pm-10pm. This event is always a blast and will feature a lot of great local vendors, artists, restaurants, and bars. Don’t miss it!

San Diego’s Lost Treasure: The Historic Class 1 Streetcars, 100 Years Later

Published on July 5, 2012 in Issues and News and Updates. 0 Comments

We recently revamped our short documentary-style video about the Class 1 streetcars with some additional and updated information, as well as some strong praise from Councilperson Sherri Lightner. If you’ve seen it before, you might want to check it out again. And if you haven’t seen it yet then definitely take a look!

Meant to be an education in the history of streetcars in San Diego as well as a clear demonstration of what returning these historic treasures to the rails would mean for our city, we’re proud to present San Diego’s Lost Treasure: The Historic Class 1 Streetcars, 100 Years Later. We hope you’ll enjoy this entertaining and informative look at the past and potential future of the Class 1 streetcars and join us in our efforts to restore this important and historic piece of San Diego’s past. Let’s preserve our history, boost our local economy, and improve our public transportation in one fell swoop… San Diego deserves it!