Richard Kurylo

A Business District with Great Potential

In 1996, having just completed schooling for my Masters Degree in Geography, I accepted an internship at North Park Main Street. At the time, North Park was a neighborhood in terrible disrepair. Once a thriving community, North Park suffered a devasting blow with the opening of Mission Valley Mall in 1961. Not recognizing the destruction wrought upon North Park and other communities, the City of San Diego built mall after mall after mall, draining the vital essense from all the city's neighborhoods.

The skeleton of once-thriving North Park was evident, and I recognized its potential immediately. A number of historic buildings remained. I could see their beauty peeking from beneath the thick layers of dismal gray and beige paint. The traditional Main Street was intact, and the long lost North Park Sign had been recently reconstructed. I knew the heart of the community - the North Park Theatre - would someday rock the neighborhood again with the beat of live performances.

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Revitalizing North Park was most definitely a challenge. Early on, we declared the business district an Arts, Culture & Entertainment district and recruited businesses that supported this designation. One by one, we encouraged owners to paint and restore their buildings through the City's Storefront Improvement Program. We installed banners. We planted trees. We fixed sidewalks. We worked with developers. We coordinated events. We even did our best to re-introduce the streetcars that once rumbled along University Avenue.

Waves of new businesses flooded the neighborhood. Gays were the pioneers. Then came the artists. Designers and architects followed. Last was everybody else. The pattern was interesting. I like to call it urban revitalization succession.

In 1996, people were afraid to visit the neighborhood. Critics were harsh, and everybody was a critic. I remember my diappointment when our first new restaurant got an excellent review, but they had nothing but nasty things to say about the neighborhood. Ten years later, North Park was defined as "chic" and "happening" and "trendy." I'm very proud of the turnaround!

Nothing makes me happier than to join the hundreds of people at Ray at Night - San Diego's largest monthly art walk - or to see a performance at the beatifully-restored North Park Theatre.

For the most up-to-date information on the continuing revitalization of North Park, please visit the North Park Main Street website. Other informative North Park websites include North Park Scene and North Park Community Association.

Press

Here are four excellent articles about North Park's revitalization:

Also, check out this great advertisement for North Park's new condominium project, La Boheme. These trendy folk are thinner than I am!