The Marston House with Gay and Joe

Fran’s  Gal-Pal Kathy is a docent at the Marston House in the north east corner of Balboa Park.

She was going to be leading tours on Sunday and we asked Gay and Joe if they’d like to join us.  A very enthusiastic Gay quickly replied YES!  (I bet Joe didn’t even get a vote :))

Our first outing with Gay and Joe was in Persidio Park, January 2017.  And they’ve become very good friends indeed!

The original Presidio land was purchased by George Marston.  The land became Presidio Park and the Sera Museum was built by Marston.  The park land and museum were donated to the city of San Diego.

My blog can be found HERE.
And Gay’s blog HERE.

Although we were acquainted with the Marston name, this would be our first time inside the Marston home.  We met Kathy in front of the Carriage House for the short walk to the main residence.

Kathy unlocked the front door and we were inside foyer with its long hallway lighted by windows.  The wainscotting and floorboards were all heart redwood.  Beautiful long planks of pure heart redwood.

The library was the first room we visited.

There are three Tiffany Lamps in the home.  This one on George Marston’s desk shines on the San Diego Union Newspaper headlining the donation by John Spreckles of the ‘Organ’ Pavilion donated for the 1915 Exposition.

The furnishings are mostly donated items from SOHO (Save Our Heritage Organization), which maintains the house.

The music room originally had a grand piano.  SOHO donations include an upright piano with lamps to assist in reading the music.  His wife was a classical pianist, but George liked to play Boogie Woogie.

George Marston was instrumental in acquiring land for the Anza Borrego State Park.  The picture next to this Tiffany Lamp is well know by many who have visited Borrego Springs.

In this dining room George Marston discussed plans for the 1915 Exposition.  His wife Martha hosted Sunday dinners with guests including President Theodore Roosevelt.

Meals were plated in the butlers pantry, then served in the dining room.

The countertops in the pantry are cut to curve around the sink, beveled to drain into the sink and hinged to allow easy access to items on the top shelf below.

The woodworker in Joe paid acute attention to the details.  May inspire a new project.

The everyday dishes

and the fancy ones

Meals were prepared in the butler's kitchen.

Our docent Kathy explaining to Fran and Gay the Marston Legacy.

of Progress and Preservation

… And if 500 years from now someone should wish to know of George Marston he'd only need to go to San Diego and look about … ~ Charles C. Haines

The third Tiffany lamp is upstairs in sitting room.

Family photos adorn one room on the second floor.

The photo in the bottom center is George Marston, at age 91, ice skating at Glacier Gardens when it opened.

Annually Marston would have Lilacs brought from Julian and placed in his department store and home.

So how did Marston come across his money?  He developed a department store into a dynasty that dominated San Diego for over 80 years.  The building still stands on the corner of F Street and 4th Ave.

Marston paid a ‘living wage’ to all his employees.  Women and men had equal pay for equal work.  Many stayed with the store for decades.

Marston commissioned this whimsical map of San Diego in 1928.  Only 2000 were made.

Gay commented it would make a great jigsaw puzzle.  Val is another of Fran’s Gal-Pals.  Val's bridge partner is Jimmy Carter … Not the president, but the owner of a Mexican Cafe a short walk from the Marston House.

I didn’t take any pictures inside, but Gay did!

You’ll find  them at: Good-Times-Rollin

and lots more good information.

George W. Marston - San Diego’s First Citizen

So why does George White Marston deserve his own post?  #1 is there would be no Balboa Park nor Presidio Park without his drive, finance, sensibilities, historic insights, etc.  He is alone in the foundation of San Diego with the drive and desire (and money)in preserving the founding of San Diego and preservation of the efforts of the Friar – Father Junipero Serra  -  and provided the seed money to establish Balboa Park.  Indeed he is “San Diego’s First Citizen”.

As reported by myself and Good Times Rolling Marston used his own funds to purchase the old Spanish Presidio with the sole intent of preserving its history.  Once the property was acquired the Serra Museum was built.  He then gave it all to the people of San Diego as a remembrance of their history.

Fran and I did a loop to the Marston House a few weeks ago, but the weather did not permit all that is available on that loop.  The pictures are a mixture from that trip and the one today.

We’ll start our loop from Spanish Village and loosely follow trials #4 and #5.  The numbered trails within the park are on the park trails webpage.


We follow the pathway along the Prado.  There are some BIG changes planned for here that are now funded!  The big change is traffic will routed around the Plaza de Panama as seen here in front of the fountain.




The ‘Plan’ is to route traffic off the Cabrillo Bridge via what is now the Archery Range to a parking garage behind the Organ Pavilion.



You can see the plan proposals by following the links:
Voice of San Diego
Save Our Heritage Organization
Plaza de Panama Project
My vote is to simply close off Cabrillo Bridge to traffic!  And add a trolley stop.

Within the ‘Founders Plaza’ exhibit Marston is shown as the ‘Champion of the Park’, while Morse and Horton are the ‘Promoters and Developers’.  Kate Sessions is across as the botanist and drive behind Balboa Park.






From the Marston House we chose to make a loop over 163 and back to our parking spot near Spanish Village.



This is an easy hike on mostly paved walkways.  Balboa Park has more than 65 miles of trails, it’ll take a few more visits to document them.