Downtown areas house the powerful who are known to broker deals behind modern concrete or glass facades of the imposing buildings that line the streets. In order to lure business interests and spur economic development, older cities are forced to transform themselves, pushing out the old and building skyward with towering condos and office buildings. In San Diego, one enlightened developer took the time and energy to bring power into the lap of luxury.

Just across the street from the Santa Fe Train Station (Amtrak) is a relic of the past dating back to the turn of the century. From ground level, if you like architecture, your interest should be sparked.

In 1911, this relic was a power generating plant owned by John D. Spreckels' streetcar system, the San Diego Electrical Railway Company. Eventually, San Diego's only energy provider, San Diego Gas & Electric (or at the time San Diego Consolidated Gas and Electric Company) bought the land and it was named Station B. (Some light bulb moment of creativity from the marketing department, huh?) John D. Spreckels hired an out-of-town architect to work on building design. Thereafter, SDG&E contracted the services of San Diego's well-known architect, William Templeton Johnson, to complete any additions made to the property. Today, at street level, at Kettner and Broadway, stands a beautiful neoclassical and Art Deco building. It became a historical landmark in 1998 because of its aesthetic and historic significance.

For decades, the building sat vacant. Standing on the street, it's hard to get perspective on what has become of Station B. Creativity and a ton of money brought luster, prestige and purpose back to this nearly 100-year old structure.

In one of the first adaptive-reuse projects of its kind in the United States, big boy developer Bosa Development (a Vancouver company) put its money where it skiploader was. Some may find it shocking that Bosa ponied up $248 million to bring this antiquated industrial building back to life as a luxury condominum project while maintaining its historic qualities. Different than most, Bosa did what often is ignored by developers. Rather than demolish the building, they presevered the facade, incorporated earthquake retrofits and built the residential living area setback from the main drag of Broadway. What was once a boiler and turbine building now rises San Diego's tallest residential condominium tower. The area in the building that housed the turbine and boiler is now a conservatory-type room for the residents of the building.

The building has a 5-level subterranean parking garage, 248 units and stands 42-stories tall. It took four years to develop the property, but it generated enough interest to sell out in just three months. You can walk around to the older part of the building and have a look. You can even view the

Conservatory

Conservatory from the lobby (southern side) from the glass doors. Be careful not to press your greasy lil' nose on the glass or else the guard will walk up behind you and politely tap you on the shoulder. Not that we would know. Again, this is a private building and well, we're not welcome to enter. 'Course you could make friends with someone who is walking their pooch and see if you can snag an invite.

Station B operated for 50 years. Now, San Diegans can be reminded of how Station B onced served San Diego and its growing population. Watts important is to look at the building and try to imagine that once upon a time, great architecture was the norm even for a power generating plant.

Old buildings keep community character and remind us of our past. New buildings are symbols of the dawn of a renaissance. When new buildings are built incorporating the best attributes of the old, beauty is often the result.