North Park Publication

north

park volume 001

01 02 03 04

h i s to r y

content

tabl

of

a r t & c u lt u r e

a c o n v e r s at i o n

n ot e wo r t h y

a little bit of history

“‘Thirtieth & University’ became North Park’s symbolic place name — and within 10 years, this became the heart of the community.”

welcome

to north park

In 1911, Hartley’s eldest son, Jack, and a relative (brother-in-law William Jay Stevens) developed the plot into one of San Diego’s first residential and commercial districts. After first establishing “Stevens & Hartley”, North Park’s first real estate firm, in 1905, Jack and William built North Park’s first “high rise” commercial building, the Stevens building, on the northwest corner of 30th Street and University Avenue (today’s “Western Dental” building) in 1912.

Later in the 1910s, North Park became one of the many San Diego neighborhoods connected by the Class 1 streetcars and an extensive San Diego public transit system that was spurred by the Panama-California Exposition of 1915 and built by John D. Spreckels.

These streetcars became a fixture of this neighborhood until their retirement in 1949. North Park was the site of the crash of PSA Flight 182, California’s deadliest aviation accident to date.

In the summer of 1893, San Diego merchant Joseph Nash sold 40 acres of land northeast of Balboa Park to James Monroe Hartley, who wished to develop a lemon grove. The Hartley family began the arduous process of clearing the land to prepare the earth for the grove, but providing the fledgling trees with proper irrigation was always a problem. Barrels of water had to be hauled from downtown San Diego up a wagon trail would eventually be called Pershing Drive.

As the growth of San Diego eventually caught up with the original Hartley lemon grove, it eventually became roughly bordered by Ray Street to the west, 32nd Street to the east, University Avenue to the north and Dwight Street to the south.

Hartley deemed his area “Hartley’s North Park” - and years later, the name evidently stuck as the City of San Diego referred to the new suburb as “North Park.”

“Thirtieth & University” became North Park’s symbolic place name - and within 10 years, this became the heart of the community.

what makes north park different?

An eclectric and diverse array of restaurants, as well as independent coffee shops, can be found along the main arteries of 30th Street and University Avvenue. The area is also dotted with bars and night clubs that cater to a wide diversity of patrons. The Linkery used to be in the neighborhood. Waypoint Public now occupies the same space.

Forbes magazine named North Park as one of America’s best hipster neighborhoods, noting that “culturally diverse North Park is home to Craftsman cottages, cafes and diners, coffee shops, several microbreweries, boutiques, and the North Park Farmers Market. The North Park Theater and the Ray Street Arts District are also bastions of creativity in the area”

The Los Angeles Times writes: “North Park has all the ingredients for the cool school: It’s culturally diverse and has art galleries, boutiques, trendy bars with handcrafted cocktails and local brews, and foodie-approved eateries.”

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creativity in the community The San Diego Music Foundation hosts a large musical festival North Park Music Thing—in the fall on El Cajon Boulevard, which helps add to North Park’s reputation as a great community for the arts in San Diego.

As a tradition every December, North Park holds its annual holiday parade. Formerly known as the North Park Toyland Parade, it is now called the North Park Lions Club Holiday Parade.

Like other urban San Diego communities, North Park has a high rate of pedestrian activity, relative to other regions of San Diego county.

North Park has a Farmers Market every Thursday which has been listed as one of the top 40 in the USA. The market is located on North Park Way between Granada Ave. and 30th Street. The Spring/ Summer hours are 3pm-sunset, Fall/Winter 2pm-Sunset. They feature over 35 independent vendors; locally grown produce/ flowers; gourmet/ethnic foods; arts and crafts; books; and, often, live music.

Downtown North Park contains the Ray Street Arts District. Ray at Night is a gallery walk held the second Saturday of every month in North Park. It is the largest and longest running art walk in San Diego’s history.

Nearby, the Observatory North Park, a concert venue, occupies the former Birch North Park Theatre, the former home of Lyric Opera San Diego. The historic theater underwent major renovations in 2005. The permanent seats were removed in 2015 for its new use.

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yers

elest

lo c al

art by celeste byers; located in The Little Dame retail shop • North Park, San Diego

a rt i s t Celeste Byers hails from the vibrant neighborhood of Ocean Beach. A muralist by trade, she travels all over the world painting beautiful works of art for many different communities. Celeste is also well-known for her kind and loving approach to everyone she meets.

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familiar faces

Owners of the Hawai'i inspired business, Aloha Beach Club, Kahana Kalama and Billy Wickens are not only iconic business partners but together they have made their mark on North Park.

Husbands, fathers, surfers, business owners, creatives, and part time DJ's, They do it all.

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Billy Wickens Who are you?

"I'm a business owner, husband, dad and surfer. Not necessarily in that order."

Where did you grow up?

"I grew up in East County, San Diego, but a lot of my family is actually from North Park. I am also living in [North Park] the house I used to have sunday school in."

How has that shaped the way you do business?

"Yeah I mean, I grew up with a lot of angst towards high school. More so in the way that I wanted to be better than the average. I just hated seeing the cycle of kids getting stuck in that stagnant lifestyle.

I also knew that I wanted to live where I worked."

Whats your drink of choice?

"Beer."

What does "success" mean to you?

"Not money. I think that just being healthy, physically and mentally will translate into a healthy business."

Why do you wake up in the morning?

"My family. I just know that if anything fails, atleast I have my family to go back to. I also hold my spirituality close."

Where's your favorite wave?

"Black's during the winter, but I really love slabby waves like horshoes in La Jolla. Ala Moana bowls is up there too."

What's one thing you love and one thing you hate?

"I love it when people are intentional, and I hate when people are not."

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Kahana Kalama Who are you?

"I am a father, a husband, an entreprenuer, a business owner, and a surfer."

Where did you grow up?

"I grew up in Kailua, Oahu."

How has that shaped the way you do business?

"I was born into a family whom is deeply in touch with who they are as a culture. This notion of aloha is something that defines my life. I was raised to care for the things around me. I want to bring honor to my family and culture."

What inspires you?

"Street art and grafitti really grab my attention. I love to draw and create really anything. I like drawing stuff that reflects a deeper meaning, like my culture for example."

What does "success" mean to you?

"I think success can be defined as being comfortable and healthy."

Why do you wake up in the morning?

"Opportunity is everywhere and I get excited knowing I will probably learn something new everyday. I also love my family and being present with them whenever I can."

Where's your favorite wave?

"It's so hard to pick one. I would definetly say Black's, in La Jolla but Hawai'i has the North Shore and [Ala Moana] bowls. But damn, Uluwatu is fun too."

What's one thing you love and one thing you hate?

"I love good music and I hate bad style."

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the roots how it all started In May of 2011 Kahana Kalama

It was always one of Kahana’s

and Billy Wickens founded Aloha

dreams to be able to spend

Beach Club, a clothing and retail

more time on both sides of the

concept offering an assortment

Pacific‌ to form a bridge of

of contemporary designers and

sorts connecting the roots of

products that embody their

the brand and his continuous

commitment to excellent living

source of inspiration to his

and ethical manufacturing.

newfound home in California and friends.

The store outgrew its original 800 square foot location and moved its Flagship to a 2,400 square foot location in the heart of North Park San Diego. In February of 2015 Kalama went on to open a second location in his hometown of Kailua.

Throughout the rest of the world.In the last year, the beach club closed the Kailua outpost to expand into the Ala Moana mall in Waikiki, Oahu.

In the last year, the beach club closed the Kailua outpost to expand into the Ala Moana mall in Waikiki, Oahu.

Kahana, styling his way back down to Earth.

"...to form a bridge of sorts connecting the roots of the brand and his continuous source of inspiration to his newfound home in California."

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Something Worth Talking About

darkhorse

coffee

roasters North Park is overflowing with feel-good places to drink coffee and get some work done.

To stand out above the rest takes many qualities, but to name a few: originality, a good atmosphere, and a tasteful cup of brew all play a significant role.

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i like you a latte Located in the epicenter of North Park, and about the size of a studio apartment, this place has a really intimate feel. Everything about it seems intentional.

The atmosphere makes you feel like you just walked into a punk-rock farm house. You will leave wondering why you loved it so much.

daniel

charlso H e a d

“They roast their own beans, they have cold press coffee, they have nitrogen infused cold press on tap (tastes like a stout) and Kombucha on tap.�

on

Roaster 23

map of north park

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North Park