Historic Preservation

Remmen Building Rehabilitation

The Remmen Building is a two-story wood-framed Craftsman-style building with Neoclassical details. It was constructed in 1907 by Mr. Ole Remmen as a four-unit apartment house. It is San Diego historic site #426.

The project involved the creation of a mixed-use development with a multi-level subterranean garage. The Remmen Building was temporarily relocated off-site, two blocks away. Once construction of the garage was completed, the building was moved back to its original location at the northeast corner of G Street and Park Boulevard and rotated 90-degrees, so the entry faces Park Boulevard.

Due to the relocation, the rough-faced stone foundation walls had to be removed, salvaged, and reconstructed. The concrete stairs at the front entry were documented and recreated in new concrete. The remaining ornate brick chimney was carefully disassembled, catalogued and stored, then reconstructed on site. Two missing chimneys were recreated to match.

The Remmen Building also has several leaded glass windows. These damaged windows were carefully removed for repair and then reinstalled. In order to enable the building to be adaptively reused by a commercial tenant, an accessibility ramp was added on the south side as part of a new public deck. One of the existing window openings at the south side was reconfigured into an accessible double door. A wheelchair lift and steel egress stair were added to the west side (rear) of the building.

The Remmen Building rehabilitation included the addition of a steel moment frame for seismic strengthening, a fire sprinkler system, and restoration of all exterior doors and windows. The building was also re-painted with its historic color scheme. The Remmen Building will be occupied by a new retail tenant; likely a cafe.

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