San Diego County Administration Center
Monumental Government Building Gets Tile Reroof in San Diego, California
by Camille Dodson, Editorial Assistant
The San Diego County Administration Center is an important landmark for its community in San Diego, California. Built in 1938 and dedicated that same year by President Franklin Roosevelt, the building now houses many of the offices for the local county government and is also home to several historic works of art by local artists from the 1930s. Due to its location on the waterfront and its beautiful appearance, it has been given the nickname of the Jewel on the Bay by locals.
The building was originally designed by architects Samuel Wood Hamill, William Templeton Johnson, Richard Requa, and Louis John Gill. Intended to complement Balboa Park structures, the architecture is Spanish Revival in style with a strong Beaux Arts classical influence. Clay tiles are the perfect choice for Southern California roofs, as the product is known for its longevity, durability, and aesthetics. The original architects had clearly recognized this, and the building had been erected with a stunning orange clay tile roof.
After more than 80 years of being a major landmark for San Diego, wear and tear had taken its toll on the San Diego County Administration Center’s roof. The building is such an important landmark for the city, and the reroof needed to stick as close as possibly to preserving the original look of the roof. For their expertise in mimicking historical tiles, MCA® Clay Roof Tile, Corona, California, was called in, as the company is a leader in the clay roof tile industry and has completed many other notable historic and commercial projects in Southern California. They partnered with A Good Roofer Inc., Lakeside, California, to work on the project.
“The building is a highly visible landmark on San Diego’s waterfront,” said Michelle Mosqueda, President of A Good Roofer. “The building is one of many attractions in the downtown area and it can be seen by all visitors by airplane and cruise ships. That made it important to complete the reroof with tile that matched the original roof and kept with the original architecture.”
Luckily, MCA Clay Roof Tile has never been one to back down from a challenge. The tile team made a special mold in order to match the shape and style of the original tiles. Four special colors were made for the tiles to match and replicate the wear that could be seen on some of the original tiles that had been broken.
“Not all of the original tiles were unsalvageable,” said Joe Perez, Sales Representative with MCA Clay Roof Tile. “We mixed the new tiles with the older ones in order to preserve the original look of the roof. The hardest part was color matching all of the tiles, but our team is experienced with making custom mixes to recreate historical tiles.”
With the joint expertise of MCA Clay Roof Tile’s team and the skilled workers from A Good Roofer, the roof quickly took shape as an incredible recreation of the original style from the 1930s. Other limitations began to make themselves clear as work progressed. “Pedestrian traffic was an issue since the building was still open to the public,” said Mosqueda. As a government building, the many officials who worked there still needed to be able to access their offices, and the building is a popular site for visiting members of the public that come to see its historic art. This issue was circumvented by members of the roofing team working off hours and having scaffolding set up so they would not block any of the major entrances.
Alongside the reroof, the San Diego County Administration Center also got some internal remodeling and upgrades. This multiple phase renovation project involved replacing or updating mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, painting the exterior, installing a new emergency generator, several full interior remodels, modernizing elevators, installing a new fire sprinkler system, updating fire protection systems, performing seismic retrofits, replacing roof tiles and flat roof areas, and refurbishing historic windows. With both the large scale upgrades and the reroof, guaranteed by MCA’s exceptional 50-year limited warranty, the building has been revitalized and will continue to serve its county for years to come.
