Historic Walking Tours of San Diego
The first two self-guided tours are near the west side of Balboa Park. Burlingame is just east of Balboa Park. We'd like to add more walking tours and welcome anyone willing to do some work developing a tour.This tour of Bankers' Hill offers you not only a beautiful walk, but also a look at a dozen historic sites that show the history of residential architecture in San Diego and more: a close-up of the dreams and ambitions of the powerful San Diegans who could afford to call this neighborhood home during the first quarter of the 1900s.
The 3500 block of Seventh Avenue off Upas Street is adjacent to the northwest corner of Balboa Park. This short block contains important examples of Arts & Crafts Period architecture by four of San Diego's most prominent architects: Irving Gill, William Hebbard, Frank Mead and Richard Requa. Additionally, several other notable architects worked on these homes including Louis Gill, Hazel Waterman, and Emmor Brook Weaver.
Burlingame was laid out on a high plateau of land immediately to the east of Balboa Park, south of Switzer Canyon and west of the historic boundary between Pueblo and Mission lands. 360-degree views from the tract encompassed mountains to the east, the bay and the Coronados islands to the south, Switzer Canyon to the north, and to the west, the site of the Panama-California Exposition where the Spanish Colonial style buildings and lush landscaping were being developed. You can walk Burlingame easily in less than an hour: start just east of 30th, north of Juniper. Follow the pink sidewalks on Dulzura, San Marcos, Laurel, Maple, Kalmia and Capitan.
