Preserving Coronado’s architectural heritage takes center stage at the upcoming 2025 GEM Awards Dinner Ceremony, hosted by the Coronado Historical Association. Scheduled for Thursday, March 27, at 5:00 pm in the Nautilus Room, this event honors individuals and families committed to safeguarding the community’s historic buildings.
Since its establishment in 2013, the GEM Awards recognizes those who Go the Extra Mile in preserving Coronado’s unique character. Property owners opting for renovation over replacement are celebrated for their dedication to preserving Coronado’s architectural history and fostering connections to the past. The awards are sponsored by Discover Coronado and highlight building renovations that reflect Coronado’s charming character and architectural history, connecting us to our past. Such efforts preserve Coronado’s unique and architecturally robust character.
The GEM Awards Dinner Ceremony, set to unveil the 2025 winners, offers an evening of celebration, appreciation, and forging new connections. Leading up to the Ceremony, CHA will be highlighting this year’s nominees each week. This week’s nominees are 555 Alameda Boulevard and 975 B Avenue.
555 Alameda Boulevard
The English cottage at 555 Alameda is one of a few Storybook Tudor homes in Coronado. The house was built in 1938, during a time when a Tudor-style house was a symbol of success. The current owners bought the home in 2022 and did a complete renovation of the property, including the garage, former maid’s quarters, and pool; to restore the architectural integrity of the home, the vinyl windows were removed and replaced with custom wood windows in the same style as the original windows. The homeowners’ favorite discovery during the project was when they found that the green-painted roof over the bay window was originally a copper color. They hired Phillips Painting to refinish the small roof in copper, increasing the curb appeal that originally caught their eye when looking to buy a home.
975 B Avenue
The two-story home at 975 B Avenue has been part of the Coronado landscape for more than a century. The home was built in 1913 for $800 by Leonard Brown, a carpenter at the Hotel del Coronado. Originally built at 452 B Avenue, the house was moved to its current location in 1989. The current homeowners bought the property in 2007, drawn in by the Craftsman look and ideal location. They have been working to restore and improve it since then. In 2021, they took on the biggest project yet — tackling the interior, with a special focus on making the space comfortable for grandkids. In addition to the interior, the homeowners spent some time getting the color of the exterior just right. The house was an avocado green when they first bought it. At first, they thought that was the color palette it had always been. However, after doing research, they realized a lighter color may be more accurate to the home’s turn-of-the-century roots. They came upon the Benjamin Moore Historical Collection where they found the neutral color that perfectly fits the home’s style. The homeowner described the whole project as “a labor of love.”
Join the Coronado Historical Association in celebrating these homeowners and their efforts! Tickets for the GEM Awards Dinner Ceremony (March 27) are available for purchase at www.coronadohistory.org. We invite you to join the community in honoring those who have truly Go the Extra Mile to preserve Coronado’s architectural treasures.
