Mission Hills Heritage Annual Historic Home Tour

Mission Hills Architecture in the Roaring Twenties Private homes open for tour guests This year's theme will explore the popular architectural styles of the 1920s, a time of great exuberance and prosperity. The thrilling decade came to a screeching halt with the stock market crash of 1929 and the following Great Depression. San Diego hosted the wildly successful 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Many of the talented craftsmen who had traveled here to create it stayed on to meet the increasing demands for housing in the area's booming economy. Between 1920 and 1930, most available lots in Mission Hills were infilled, bringing into being the neighborhood of today. Just as the popularity of Victorian houses had waned earlier, Craftsman and Prairie styles were no longer in demand. San Diegans had become enamored of the Spanish style architecture used in the Balboa Park exposition, as their new homes soon reflected. In addition, silent movies and the burgeoning set design industry inspired the Tudor Revival style imported from England. It embodied a romantic notion of times long past. These new houses incorporated dramatic technological innovation: electrical wiring for lighting, refrigerators, radios and gramophones. Plumbing was modernized, telephones often had niches, and for those with an automobile (or who aspired to own one), homes could be equipped with garages and driveways that incorporated drip strips. Complimentary refreshments featuring our almost famous homemade cookies will be served throughout the day at one of the homes. Ticket purchase in advance is $5 less than on the day of the tour and won't require waiting in the purchase line. On Saturday, September 21, guests will pick up their informative souvenir booklet and ticket wristband at 4405 Trias Street between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. It will include a map and professional photographs with descriptions of the homes. Houses will be open for touring between 10 am and 4 pm.