As anticipation builds for the Coronado Historical Association’s 11th annual GEM Awards Ceremony, we encourage everyone to participate in this celebration of preservation champions in our community. Whether you’re a nominee, a supporter, or simply someone who values Coronado’s architectural heritage, your presence at the event is invaluable.
The GEM Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 27 at 5:00 pm in the Nautilus Room at the Coronado Community Center. Attendees will enjoy a delicious luau dinner, hear from Coronado history legends Nancy Cobb and Gerry MacCartee, and be the first to know this year’s award winners.
Established in 2013 to commend those who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to preserving Coronado’s architectural heritage, the GEM Awards represent a cornerstone value of the local community. To recognize the remarkable preservation efforts undertaken by homeowners, each week leading up to the event, CHA has been sharing the stories of the 2025 nominees. This week’s nominees are 1118 Loma Lane and 1024 Encino Row.
1118 Loma Lane
This French Eclectic-style house at 1118 Loma Lane dates to the late 1800s when the fledgling community of Coronado was a land of opportunity. The house was commissioned by Mary Cossitt in 1898 as an investment, one of numerous homes she had built around Coronado and in San Diego during that time.
The house was promoted as a beach cottage, and newspaper articles from the 1920s referred to the house as the “Vine Cottage.” The home, which has had few changes since it was built, has a board and batten exterior and was constructed with redwood — and was likely the only one of its kind in Coronado.
The current owners added an ADU to the property, in the same style as the house, in recent years. Following the Secretary of the Interior Standards, the homeowners ensured that the ADU blended with the original structure but was differentiated to show it was a new build. They retained the original footprint of the main house, preserving the original wood casement windows along the front façade and reroofing the house with western cedar wood shingles to keep the historical look.
1024 Encino Row
The Spanish Revival Eclectic style home at 1024 Encino Row fit the bill for the current homeowners who were looking for their forever home: it was solidly built, single-story and charming. But it also needed some repairs.
The house was originally commissioned by Dorris and Cora Gurley in 1923 at a cost of $7,000. The Gurleys hired Oscar W. Dorman, a well-known and prolific builder in Coronado during the 1920s. Over the years, very little had been done to the home except for repairs.
After purchasing it in 2017, the current homeowners started restoring the house, which still had most of its original features. The broken-down foundation walls and termite-eaten wood needed to be replaced, as well as the sewer line, electrical lines, and plumbing. The homeowners took great care to keep as much original structure as possible, such as the multipaned arched front window and the front door, which mimics the arc of the picture window.
By recognizing homeowners’ efforts to preserve Coronado’s cultural resources, the GEM Awards Ceremony showcases their commitment and inspires others to follow suit. We hope that all Coronadans consider attending this important community event on March 27. More information and tickets can be found at coronadohistory.org.
