Guided Walking Tour of University Heights Bungalow Courts
4638-4648 North Avenue. Source: University Heights Historical Society.
The University Heights Historical Society will offer a guided walking tour of selected bungalow courts in University Heights on Saturday, November 14, at 11 a.m., starting in front of 4638-4648 North Avenue. A limited number of tickets are available for $25 each and must be purchased in advance here.
Bungalow courts represent one of San Diego’s most distinctive and historically significant housing types. Developed primarily between 1920 and 1949, these modest residential complexes emerged as a creative response to San Diego's rapid population growth and shifting urban lifestyle. By arranging small, affordable homes around a shared central open space, these courts successfully balanced density with a strong, close-knit sense of community.
The upcoming tour offers the opportunity to learn more about just a few of the approximately 70 bungalow courts still standing in University Heights.
The tour will be led by Kristin Harms of the University Heights Historical Society and Architectural Historian Marlena Krcelich of South Environmental. Kristin will provide an overview of the early history of University Heights along the way, and Marlena will share insights about the architectural features of each bungalow court.
This celebratory tour follows a major milestone for local preservation. In May 2026, the California State Historic Resources Commission (SHRC) unanimously approved the San Diego Bungalow Court Multiple Property Documentation Form. This landmark designation significantly simplifies the nomination process, making it much easier and more affordable for local owners to nominate their bungalow courts to the National Register of Historic Places.
The multi-year preservation effort was led by the University Heights Historical Society and made possible through vital financial contributions from the North Park Historical Society, Hillcrest History Guild, and the Ocean Beach Historical Society.
The successful nomination package was prepared by South Environmental which is fittingly located in Pasadena where Southern California's very first bungalow court was built in the 1910s.