I am writing to nominate Meshuggah Shack, a coffee kiosk at the corner of Goldfinch and Fort Stockton Drive in Mission Hills, for an Orchid.  To truly appreciate how Meshuggah Shack has transformed this part of the neighborhood, you need to remember what the corner looked like before the arrival. That is very unlikely because previously, it was anonymous dead urban space: a bland office building, a parking lot, an ATM Kiosk.  There was no there there. All that has changed. Doing much of the work himself and using mostly found materials, the owner and proprietor of Meshuggah Shack transformed the kiosk, the corner, and, in a way, this corner of the Mission Hills neighborhood. Exploiting the possibilities of the existing canopy of mature ficus trees, the Shack provides several discrete seating areas, allowing you to enjoy your coffee alone or with the serendipitous company of your neighbors, while the the kitsch-deluxe decor provides ample opportunities to strike up a conversation (“I wonder where he found all that nun stuff?”).  Meshuggah Shack deftly combines great urban design with commercial-space-as -performance-art, and a great example of how using scant resources, good and thoughtful design can make our city better.

Project Information

Project Address: 

Goldfinch and Fort Stockton Drive, San Diego, California

Project Owner/ Developer: 

John Bertsch

Owner Contact Name/ Email: 

urbandesign@cox.net

Project Architect/ Designer: 

John Bertsch

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