The collection contains documents related to the Middletown historic district and Mission Brewery in San Diego.

Middletown is one of the original historic districts in San Diego. It is 687 acres in size and makes up a long, narrow strip of low hills and tidal flats West of Balboa Park between downtown San Diego and Old Town. This acreage was originally granted to a group of ten investors, including Juan Bandini and Cave Johnson Couts, on May 27, 1850 who paid a total of $3,187 for the land. As Italian immigration into San Diego increased in the late 1800s, an Italian fishing community emerged in the Middletown area. Middletown school was also erected in the district in 1888. The Italian neighborhood was later divided by the construction of the freeway corridor in the mid-twentieth century. Today, Middletown is best known for the historic sites of Mission Brewery Plaza and the Santa Fe Depot, as well as Little Italy and the India Street Art Colony. The district was designated a historic landmark in the late 1980s, and the San Diego mayor declared May 27, 1990 Middletown Founder’s Day. Thelma Tradewell, Chairwoman of the Middletown Property Owners Association at the time, as well as several other local organizations like the Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO) and Harborview Association, were pivotal in achieving this designation.

0.5 Linear feet (1 box)

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

This collection is open for research.