Bungalow Courts in San Diego

Bungalow courts are a cherished housing type in the City of San Diego, with most of them constructed between 1920 and 1949 to address the City’s population growth. They are defined by their concentration of small, one-story homes around a shared open space and connection to the street and public transportation. Bungalow courts are typically arranged in an L- or U-shape plan, and contain detached, semi-detached, or attached units.

The City of San Diego features a variety of arrangements of bungalow courts, ranging from full bungalow courts and half bungalow courts to bungalow court complexes. They were also built in a variety of architectural styles, including Craftsman, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, Pueblo Revival, Egyptian Revival, Minimal Traditional, and Ranch.

The bungalow court property type was first developed in Pasadena, California, during the 1910s. By the end of the 1910s, the property type spread throughout Los Angeles and eventually Southern California. San Diego’s first bungalow courts were constructed in the decade after the 1915-1917 Panama-California Exposition and World War I to meet the increasing population demands resulting from an influx of civilians and military personnel and their families to the area.

Bungalow courts quickly became a desirable property type for both developers and residents as they offered a higher return on investment by allowing several units to be constructed on a single lot, used similar construction techniques and materials as single-family houses, were conveniently located near public transportation, were affordable, required limited maintenance, and offered a communal lifestyle with the privacy and outdoor space of a single-family home.

The City’s earliest bungalow courts were typically constructed in neighborhoods served by the City’s streetcar system. As the main form of public transportation at the time, constructing bungalow courts within close proximity to streetcar lines offered residents a convenient means of getting to work and accessing other parts of the City without an automobile.

While the construction of bungalow courts slowed after the 1920s, the housing shortage during World War II in the early 1940s resulted in a renewed focus on bungalow courts as the property type remained a convenient way to add housing quickly to established areas. The popularity of the bungalow court ultimately tapered with the end of streetcar line operations in 1949.

According to published City of San Diego historic surveys, there are an estimated 400-plus bungalow courts located throughout the City of San Diego, concentrated along original streetcar lines in the communities of University Heights, North Park, Uptown, City Heights, Golden Hill, Normal Heights, Kensington-Talmadge, and Ocean Beach. There are an estimated 70 intact bungalow courts in University Heights alone.

Sources: Bungalow Courts and Apartment Courts Historic Context Statement, City of San Diego Planning Department, September 2021.