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A stereotype that I have associated with cities is that there tends to be a plethora of graffiti that covers the walls of the neighborhood. Before this class, I held a derogatory view of  graffiti, seeing it through the lens of an act of vandalism. However, after hearing what Dr. Michael Mata had to say about graffiti and the artistic purpose it can hold; it changed my viewpoint on how this art form can be perceived. As I walked through City Heights, all the bright, vivid artwork caught my attention and I saw a lot of hidden artistic meanings and expression of culture rather than an act of vandalism. There was a lot of representation of various cultures that came through the artistic choices. For example, in one mural I saw there were a row of flags all in line next to each other: the Filipino flag, the Japanese flag, the Italian flag, the Mexican flag, etc. There were a lot more flags on the wall that I didn’t document. To me, this not only was a recognition of the diverse community that makes up the population of City Heights, but also a statement of unity that welcomes all various ethnicities. This is such a beautiful message to portray to the community, further emphasizing this lifestyle of living in harmony with the neighborhood. Another aspect that stood out to me was that the art was often reflective of the content sold inside the store, used as a display of advertising. For example, on a wall outside of a store, there was a beautiful mural of parrots and fish. Then, when I went inside the store, it contained an exotic pet store that consisted of tropical birds and fish. There was also some pieces of startling art, with a child posing in a laid position saying “Here they kill me”, which was shocking for me to see. I am not sure what kind of issue that was bringing awareness to, but it made me stop and think about what’s going on behind the scenes, under the radar in injustices.

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My first stop at City Heights was at a local coffee shop. I had gotten this recommendation from a friend who had recently walked around the neighborhood and loved it. It was called Cafeina, and it was along a random strip in more of a neighborhood part of the city, right off the downtown area. On the outside, it looked run down, but on the inside, it was so nicely kept and I was greeted by beautiful textures of wall art running along the sides of the shop. My first impression was that there seemed to be a heavy Latino influence. This was because the art consisted of calacas, a figure of skull or skeleton in human form, commonly used in decoration for the Mexican celebration Day of the Dead.  In the short time I was there, I noticed that all the people that came into the coffee shop were all wearing masks and they were people of color, which I found to be quite interesting. The menu had basic coffee items, but also had quite a few of their specialty drinks titled in Spanish, with English subtitles. There were two male and one woman barista behind the counter, all of which looked of Latino complexion. I was impressed with the well priced coffee and the quality of the drink itself. They had an ice cream bar with an array of different flavors, in addition to homemade pastries as well. The guy behind the counter was super friendly and kind; it his own business in which he runs and works there as well. This business seemed to be very involved in the community in observing the fliers that were sitting on the counter. The flier was for an event occurring for the whole community, which says a lot about the participation of this business in rallying behind the communal aspect of the neighborhood. I loved going into this coffee shop and it gave me a sense of the community and the type of people in City Heights that go out for coffee, a segway into the overarching theme of communal living that I noticed throughout my observations of City Heights.

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Before I went to explore, this was one of the places that came up on Google as a popular sight to see in the neighborhood of City Heights  I think the fact that a bar came up as a place to go is an interesting observation in itself, a reflection of what is a part of the city life and culture. When I saw the bar on the corner of the street, I was immediately drawn to the abstraction of the architecture and the odd choice of coloring. It sits towards the end of the City Heights strip, on the corner of University Avenue, with no other buildings in proximity to it; it just stands mostly on its own. I didn’t get the chance to go inside because it was closed at the time that I went, but the architecture was unlike any of the other buildings in the downtown area that I had seen. I was curious as to how long this building had been around because it looked pretty run down on the outside. I did some outside research about this building and they happened to have a website with a breakdown of the history behind this bar (see the link attached in this section). It was first built in 1932 in an octagonal shape as a drive-in soda fountain, glassed in with a second floor observation deck. The most distinctive aspect of this building was the skinny extension of the building that stuck up in the very center. It resembled the Empire State Building and according to this website, it is a monumental hollow pylon, a wooden dental extension. The style in which the building resembles is called Zig Zag Moderne, sometimes also referred to as Art Deco with a heavy Gothic influence. I could see this in the way that the building was so unique and was unlike anything I had seen in City Heights. It stuck out like a sore thumb among the classic architecture along the rest of the street.

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Planning this project around City Heights, I had in mind that I would go to a few specific places around the neighborhood that held significance, certain landmarks or important places in the community. However, I realized that this would not be an accurate depiction of what the neighborhood consisted of. What goes on in the mundane and the simple act of walking around is when you can gain a more holistic view of how to gage interactions with the neighborhood. Walking along the street, I felt a rush of various emotions and responses to what the community consisted of in regard to the array of buildings of differing styles. There was almost a sense of an amusement park type feel, where I noticed there were abstract designs in the architecture of the strip of buildings. The Tower Bar had a cartoon-like style to it, there was one building that had a row of Egyptian pharaoh heads attached to it, buildings that were in the shape of a Chinese temple, etc. Everyone that we ran into on the street was a person of color, and there was hardly any homeless which honestly surprised me. The fact that this surprised me got me thinking about the privileged neighborhood I have grown up in, where the community I lived with was predominantly white. It irritated me how in my mind I associated race with the homeless community. This made me evaluate the perceptions I held, not just about this specific neighborhood, but how I view people of color and the homeless population. Another observation I had was that everyone we walked by was friendly towards us, in a non-threatening manner. As a woman, I try to make sure I am more aware of my surroundings when walking the street, but I felt remarkably safe walking around with my other friend, who is also a girl.

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In addition to walking the downtown strip of City Heights, I was also able to walk around the neighborhoods surrounding the city. The first observation I had was how there were a plethora of homes that sat right on the backyard of the city, right on the edge of the downtown area. It was crazy to me how closely intertwined these houses were to the city life. The majority of the homes I walked by had large metal fences with locks in the front of the yard, blocking the entrance to the home. This is not common at all in my neighborhood at home and so I thought it was a unique characteristic to this community. I loved walking by the various homes and hearing the different languages as I walked by, getting a taste of the cultural community that goes on behind the scenes in the midst of everyday life. I also noticed the different religious decorations certain houses had out in front of their houses, some with crosses and Jesus statues, others with Buddah statues. This gave me a sense of not only is this a culturally diverse community, but also diverse in regards to the types of religions that are practiced here. Not only were the homes diverse in the sense of culture, but also of style. I feel like, not in the case with my older neighborhood, but oftentimes in the newer, wealthier neighborhoods that make up my hometown, a majority of the houses look the exact same. In the case of City Heights, every home was architecturally different which I enjoyed seeing. As you can see in this picture, this home was more Spanish, adobe style whereas others were contrasting in style. There were also quite a few dogs laying outside the homes, as seen in this photo here. The dogs we came across were not the most friendly, and a lot of these houses had ‘Beware of Dog’ signs, which can feel off-putting to me a lot of times.

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As an education major, I have a huge heart for elementary schools and I love seeing the various types of schools throughout different communities. As we were driving out of City Heights, we came across Rosa Parks Elementary School. First of all, the name struck me right away, obviously because of how significant Rosa Parks has been in the fight for injustices in our country. How powerful to have a school named after her! It says a lot about what the school stands for: inclusion, diversity, and the fight for justice. I absolutely love that. The elementary school was surprisingly nice on the outside, it reminded me of the elementary school I grew up at, actually. I say surprisingly just because I felt as if the other buildings in City Heights didn’t match up to the architectural state of the school. The other thing that struck me about this school was the beautiful, vivid sculpture that I am pretty sure represented Rosa Parks herself. Covered in a dress of bright colors, she was such a representation of how people should be looked at, with so much to offer and looking past the color of skin. They still did a great job of representing what culture she brings to the table. She was surrounded by blocks of cement covered by personalized tiles which I will go into more detail later. This whole set of sculptures was such a representation of diversity and the beauty of inclusivity.

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What struck me about the elementary school was the personalized tiles that lay on the rock structures in front of the sculpture of Rosa Parks. There were different “rocks” with various types of tiles: one labeled “The Children”, one called “The Community” and one called “The School”. All of the titles had something to do with that category and getting to read them really touched me because a lot of them were quotes that children actually wrote, labeled anonymously, but with the grade that they were in. Some of the ones that stood out to me were the ones with Spanish and English side by side, representing the Hispanic population at this school. The other one that broke my heart and opened up my eyes was one that said, “I wonder if I am going to heaven or I am going to pass the grade…” (a 3rd grader). As a future teacher someday, it got me pondering how early on these kids wrestle with deep questions about life. It made my heart sad that they are already wondering about death at such a young, naive age. It was eye opening and also a reality check that despite the fact if I teach in a Christian school or not, teaching is also a field of ministry in which I want kids to know they are valued, loved and can have hope in their future.

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Something that I kept thinking about as I was walking around City Heights was wondering how the city came to be and what it was like at its origins. It’s such a beautiful melting pot of various cultures, a reflection of what America longs to be a picture of but has a hard time doing that. One of the sculptures at the elementary school had tiles that depicted a basic timeline of the history of City Heights. In 1885, it was recognized with the name of City Heights, according to this timeline, because at some point of the land you are able to see the San Diego Harbor, Coronado, and Mexico. In 1912, this neighborhood was established with around 4,000 residents. This is crazy for me to put into perspective because my high school was around 4,000 people. To think that City Heights was about that many people is craziness to me. In 2021, there are now approximately 74, 850 residents (niche.com). When it was first established, it was known as the “Golden Rule City” and therefore the trustees prohibited alcohol sales, gambling, halls for dancing, and you couldn’t drive a car for more than 15 miles an hour. There was a big shift in this lifestyle as the 60’s came around and the crime, specifically drug related, escalated. Just from my own opinion, I think that oftentimes when people are restricted in such bound measures, there tends to be rebellion in that sense. Included in this history was also the percentages of the racial demographics, with whites being less than the majority most of the time.

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HISTORY OF THE TOWER BAR

THE TOWER

An Architectural and Historical Survey

By Julia Ann Erwin

December 16, 1978

The Tower Building is located at 4757 University Avenue, lot thirty four block one of the Fairmont Addition Re-subdivision. The Contractor was David H. Ryan. The architect is unknown. Originally designed as part of a theater, The Tower was built as a drive-in soda fountain in the fall of 1932. As first built, The Tower was an octagonal structure. It was glassed-in, and had swinging double doors on five sides. It contained a central kitchen and a circular counter. The second floor was a glassed-in observation deck.

The support of the Tower comes from four 16″ by 16″ white spruce pillars originally intended for use in an asphalt plant. These pillars were pulled into position by Mr. Ryan's Lincoln Roadster. They are anchored in place by strap iron which is sunk into ten concrete piers which for the building's foundation. The flooring is slab concrete. The roof is composition. The parking lot was bricked, but these were removed in 1946 and used to make the low wall which runs along the eastern edge of the property.

The most distinctive feature of the Tower is the 110′ hollow monumental pylon which crowns the top of the building. The pylon is a wooden dental extension which resembles a model of the Empire State Building. The pylon has since been shortened by four to six feet in order to make it more easily accessible for maintenance. It originally had a clock on each of its sides, but these were removed because children repeatedly shot out the plate glass on the clocks' faces with pellet guns and slingshots.

The architectural style of the Tower is Zigzag Moderne, sometimes called Art Deco. Zigzag Moderne developed from the classical-inspired designs of Bertram B Goodhue, the vertical Gothic schemes of Eliel Saarinen, the forms of the Paris Exposition des Arts Decoratif of 1925, and the early twenties designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. It was also influenced by the developing International style. The principal characteristics of Zigzag Moderne are: smooth surfaced volumes; windows arranged in sunken vertical panels; frequent use of central tower, whose summit recedes in a stepped pattern; a flat roof; symmetry and balance for each elevation; tendency for buildings to be monumental, formal and heavy; ornamentation of zigzags, chevrons, sunbursts, spirals and stylized plant and animal motifs. The land on which the Tower is situated was occupied during the early part of the century by a small frame house, This house was moved to 4762 when the Tower was built. In the twenties and early thirties the house was used as an office by Adamson Realty Co. The property was owned by a series of speculators including Edward Summers, who was a realtor known as "The Bungalow King".

The Tower has remain in the David H. Ryan family since it was built. The Ground floor has always been some sort of eating establishment, and the upper floor used at times as a beauty shop. The 32′ long rectangular east side addition was constructed in 1948. At that time the octagonal part of the Tower was enclosed with frame stucco. The flooring of the new addition was asphalt tile. Booths were installed along the walls and the restaurant was located there. The octagonal part of the building was used as a bar.

This arrangement was reversed during a remodeling in 1964. The remodeling was necessary because a car went out of control and crashed through the front section of the building. In 1973 the upstairs was converted to the restaurant kitchen. Access to the restaurant is by means of a dumbwaiter.

The Tower is structurally sound and in quite good condition, except for peeling exterior paint. The present lessee and proprietor of the restaurant, Mr. Jerry Davis, hopes to convert the section of the roof above the east side addition into an outside dining patio by the summer of 1979.

Partial List of Tenants

1926-1932 Adamson Real Estate

1933-1934 Jeanne Bowers Albert Disler Beauty Shop Restaurant

1935 vacant

1936 M.L. Dougherty Restaurant

1937 vacant 1938 Myrtle Freeborn Restaurant

1939 Ruth McNeeley Restaurant

1940 Honor Wilman Restaurant

1941-1942 Nadean Gower Fred Hathaway Beauty Shop Restaurant

1951-1952 Lee Haines Restaurant

1953-1954 Herbert Tansey Restaurant

1955 Art & Henry Younger Restaurant

1956 Jerry Davis & Wesley Allen Bar/Restaurant

1959-1978 Jerry Davis & J.C.Wagner Bar/Restaurant

1987-1995 Jack Murray

1995-1997 Nikita Kim

1997-2002 Keith Rasmussen

2002 to present Mick Rossler

1964 TOWER CAR CRASH

From the San Diego Union Tribune, April 26th, 1964

Car Smashes S.D. Bar, Taking Life Of Patron

One person was killed and seven were injured yesterday when a car crashed through the front of an East San Diego cocktail lounge and slammed into the bar where several patrons were sitting.

The car crashed through the double door and glass entranceway of the Tower restaurant and bar at 4757 University Ave. Thomas J Seery, 47, of 4079 Euclid Ave was killed when he was crushed between the car and bar, Deputy Coroner Max Murphy said. Seery's wife, Catherine, 43, was hospitalized with multiple injuries.

DRIVER JAILED

Also hospitalized were James D. Miller, 46, of 4218 49th Street.; his wife, Corrine, 50; Sumner Stanley, 44, of 5240 Landis St.; his wife, Wilma, 46, and Jere L. Davis, co-owner, who was tending bar.

The driver, James Nelson Spencer, 51, an auto mechanic, of 4151 35th St, was jailed on suspicion of manslaughter and felony drunk driving. He suffered minor injuries.

Most injuries were caused by flying glass and debris. Investigating officer George H. Bye said.

GLASS FLIES

Police said Spencer's car was eastbound on University Avenue at high speed when it ran a red light at Euclid Avenue, was struck by another car and veered off into the bar.

The doors and glass front of the bar were shattered. The bar was crumpled and shoved against a back wall. The entranceway of the building faces the corner of University Avenue and Reno Street on an angle with the bar running behind it parallel to University Avenue.

J.C.Wagner, co-owner of the bar, said the car crashed through the doorway, sending glass flying and continued on down along the bar, crumbling it and running down patrons.

Police blocked off University Avenue between Euclid Avenue and 48th Street as more than 300 persons gathered at the scene. All traffic was rerouted to side streets around the accident scene for nearly one half hour. Seery was owner of a tile shop at 3889 Euclid Ave.

Police knocked a hole in the opposite wall of the building to pry the car away from the bar in order to free Sumner who also was pinned. He was the most seriously injured of the six taken to the hospitals, police said.
Click here for Historic photos of The Tower Bar

Future site of The Tower, 1924

1924, facing west from University Avenue and Euclid.

Egyptian Garage, 1920
s

Street car going past Silverado Ballroom

Silverado Ballroom 1948 and 2016

OLD PHOTOS OF CITY HEIGHTS

THE VISTA THEATRE, UNIVERSITY AVENUE. PIGGLY WIGGY ON THE LEFT.

THE SALLY WONG BUILDING - DEMOLISHED 2020

FAIRMOUNT AND UNIVERSITY, LATE 60S. CURRENTLY 7-11. NOTE BANK ON THE RIGHT STILL STANDS

1940S TO 1950S UNIVERSITY AVENUE STREET SIGN

THE TIC-TAC-TOE STOOD AT UNIVERSITY AVENUE AT 45TH

UNIVERSITY AVE & 48TH

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HISTORY OF THE TOWER BAR THE TOWER An Architectural and Historical Survey By Julia Ann Erwin December 16, 1978 The Tower Building is located at 4757 University Avenue, lot thirty four block one of the Fairmont Addition Re-subdivision. The Contractor was David H. Ryan. The architect is unknown.

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A common theme as I walked around City Heights was the idea of community, inclusion and allowing everyone to have access to a wide variety of resources and can be represented in the stores and cultures which make up the city. Just from the people who walked by me and how much I was taken aback from their friendliness was striking to me. In my neighborhood at home, people are friendly when taking a walk around the neighborhood, but downtown people are oftentimes a lot more hostile towards others. I got a different feel in City Heights with the communal aspect that came off of a lot of the various encounters I had. I think something that ties into this is the mutual respect for other cultures that comes with living in such an inclusionary, diverse community. As I was walking around the neighborhood, I came across a mini-community library, which I think is such a reflection of the heart of the city. I have multiple mini libraries in my neighborhood at home and so it was a sweet connection I made with having good memories tied to the ones I have grown up with. I think allowing the community to borrow books is such a gesture to allow everyone the access and ability to enjoy the act of reading.

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I mentioned this earlier, but I noticed how there was quite an array of religions displayed in City Heights. I think it’s so interesting how the Mid-City Church of the Nazarene is so central to the city, it’s one of the first buildings you encounter when you come off the freeway and I think that says a lot about how they value religion. I didn’t see too many other churches when I was walking around, but one that I did see was a Christian Orthodox Church which I have never seen before, even in my hometown. I have heard about this denomination, but have never seen a church that has hosted that kind of service. This church was in such a random spot, almost at the end of a neighborhood, adjacent to the freeway and a little neighborhood park. The church was tiny and it felt out of place. It had a very traditional feel and I loved the sign out front that said, “Welcome. Bienvenidos Todos”. This ties into the cultural theme of community and welcoming that I saw strung throughout all the places I went to throughout City Heights. What a beautiful picture of how we should love each other no matter what the color of our skin, status, or gender.