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At the north end of India Street in Downtown San Diego’s Little Italy is a revolution in the making. A mixed use office/retail/residential space is being built by architect and developer Jonathan Segal. Winner of 6 national AIA Honor Awards, Jonathan Segal FAIA & Development Company is about to do something extraordinary ~ again.
Check out “The Q.” Pictures can be found here.
The Q will be nestled in between India and Kettner at the crossroad of Fir across the street from Doma, one of Little Italy’s most unique and successful 92101 residential condos in terms of sustaining value in a down market.
The downtown entrepreneur or small firm will soon have another work environment alternative.
The India St. restaurant patron will soon have a retail store to browse through after dinner at The Q.
And who will live at The Q. The top floor is being designed for Jonathan Segal’s family residence and architecture office. His wife, Wendy, intends to open a wine bar in one of the shop spaces.
“The Q” ~ listed on the architect’s website (tabbed under Projects, In Progress) ~ has very little written about it. Center City Development Corporation’s tabbed page describes The Q as “a four- to six-story (86-foot high) mixed-use development with two levels of below-grade parking…includes 37,000 sf of office space and 12,000 sf of retail and commercial space…includes relocation and rehabilitation of the historic A.W. Pray Rental House, the oldest house in Little Italy.”
That A.W. Pray House ~ a rare example of Victorian Gothic architecture built in 1889 and designated as a San Diego historical resource ~ was once considered to be a problem for the developer according to an article written in the Union Tribune entitled “Little house in Little Italy big problem for big plan.” At one time, Jonathan Segal had proposed to move the house to a property he was buying in Sherman Heights. Today, it sits intact facing India St. in the north and east corner of the project. It is the oldest house in that historic neighborhood.
On another website related to Jonathan Segal’s work entitled Architect as Developer, The Q is described as a project built in San Diego ~ a city with “total disregard to historical heritage.” The site goes on to describe The Q as a project that “will become the new benchmark for green, sustainable office development in Downtown San Diego (with) photovoltaic panels, abundance of glazing and cross ventilation…”
We’re curious: What do you think of this addition to the fabric of Little Italy? Let us know by clicking on the “Comments” link below or emailing me at [email protected].