Egyptian Quarter - San Diego Streets

Updates on Three New Uptown Buildings

Good news—we’re back from our unplanned hiatus. We have a lot to cover, so let’s get to it.

If you’ve passed through Bankers Hill in the last couple of weeks, you’ve probably noticed the new tower crane hovering over the site of Vue on 5th. Developer ColRich is moving quickly on the seven-story residential building, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

From Sixth Avenue along Balboa Park, you can’t miss the massive crane.

As we told you in our first update in May, the luxury condos will range in size from 1,300 to 3,200 square feet and have an estimated price tag of $600,000 to $1 million. If you can afford it, you’ll be just steps away from Balboa Park and a few of our favorite restaurants.

In addition to the 43 residential units, plans include three commercial spaces at ground level.

ColRich is the same developer behind Waterpoint, the nearly-finished condo complex next to Point Loma Seafoods, as well as 10 West at Bird Rock in La Jolla.

Just a few blocks north at 5th and Thorn, exterior work on Broadstone Balboa Park appears to be wrapping up.

On the Fifth Avenue side facing Balboa Park, you can start to see the finishing touches on the upper floors.

The northwest corner at Fourth and Thorn is even further along. We failed to get a picture, but they’re saving some historic bungalows on the site.

We haven’t yet seen any floorplans or rates, but maybe they’ll show up soon on the Broadstone website.

At Park and Robinson in Hillcrest, there’s been a lot of buzz about the upcoming mixed-use project by Jonathan Segal.

Since our update in July, we’ve learned that the 7-story building will include 29 apartments, seven office suites, and two commercial spaces at ground level.

In case you missed it, a photo of the building model appeared on Segal’s Facebook page a while back.

The site of the old Egyptian Garage was cleared out over the summer to make way for the project, dubbed Mr. Robinson. We don’t know if that’s the official name, but that’s what they’re calling it for now. This project will likely have a big impact on this side of Hillcrest, not unlike the addition of Jonathan Segal’s North Parker at 30th and Upas.

In Hillcrest, It’s Out with the Old

We knew it was coming, but didn’t think it would happen so quickly. The big news in Hillcrest last week was the demolition of the old Egyptian Garage site at Park and Robinson. In recent years, this site became a bit of an eyesore after auto shop Advantec took over.

In case you missed it, check out this video of the demolition. Jonathan Segal, the developer behind the new mystery project, has also been sharing photos of the demolition on his blog.

Two historic columns from the original 1926 Egyptian Garage were the only pieces left standing at the site after major destruction last Tuesday, but have since been hauled away. We’re hoping that’s a sign that they’ll be incorporated into the new development. If you’re interested, The Journal of San Diego History has a great article on the Egyptian Revival architecture in this neighborhood.

Hope these neighbors didn’t like their privacy, with their back patios suddenly exposed for all to see. Hey, at least they’re probably getting more sunlight through those windows now, right?

In other demolition news, San Diego Streets reader Francisco Y. tipped us off to a site recently cleared out at Normal and Harvey Milk, across from the Hillcrest DMV office.

The rather large space was previously the home of the Union of Operating Engineers.

This old house on the corner is the last remaining structure on the lot. The construction fence surrounds this property as well, but we’re not sure if it’s staying or going. Maybe someone will take that shopping cart back to Trader Joe’s, at least.

Close by, we’re also not sure what’s going on at Hillcrest Village Square. (Yeah, we didn’t know that deteriorating strip mall had a name, either.) Fencing went up around the buildings last week.

Signs along University Avenue say the businesses are still open during construction, which makes us wonder if the place is just being re-skinned. It could certainly use some renovating.

Gossip Grill, owned by Mo’s Universe, moved from its original location in this shopping center to its current location at Vermont and University in 2013. Mo’s Universe also operates Hillcrest Brewing Company here.

The Whole Hog Bringing BBQ to Park Blvd

Get ready to pig out. Local catering company The Whole Hog is opening up its first restaurant in the former Groovy Records space at Park and Robinson. It’s an American regional eatery, specializing in barbecued goods like pork ribs, beef tri-tip, and BBQ chicken. We’ll pause while you salivate.

Since these pictures taken a few days ago, they’ve replaced that Groovy Records sign and added some custom planters. They also plan to paint the exterior and remove those awful bars on the windows. We can’t wait to see the finished exterior of this high-profile corner that’s been looking pretty sad for far too long.

We used to love getting frozen yogurt at the old Tutti Frutti in this spot, and we think neighbors are going to enjoy being able to grab a bite here once again. We’re excited to see what’s next for this stretch of Park Blvd as the Egyptian Quarter revival continues.