Photo: Alan Islas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
For most of the 20th century, the Naval Training Center San Diego trained hundreds of thousands of Navy recruits on its campus near the airport in Point Loma. The base opened in the 1920s, and its Spanish Colonial Revival buildings formed a distinctive campus.
The 1993 round of base closures put it on the list, and it shut in 1997. The city took over the land and chose McMillin Companies to redevelop it.
What it became
The project, called Liberty Station, includes homes, hotels, schools, offices, retail space and a large park along the boat channel. Historic buildings were preserved and reused.
The NTC Arts and Culture District houses galleries, studios, dance companies and nonprofit groups in the old barracks and training buildings. Liberty Public Market, which opened in 2016 in a former Navy building, contains food stalls and shops.
Business impact
Liberty Station has become a destination for dining and events, as well as an office location. Breweries, restaurants and fitness businesses fill the buildings, and the district hosts weekend markets and festivals.
The redevelopment is often cited as an example of how to reuse a closed military base. Questions over parking, traffic near the airport and long-term upkeep of historic buildings remain, but the project created a new neighborhood on land that had been closed to the public for decades.
More in Business
xTool Officially Launches X1: An Upgradable Multi-Laser Platform Engineered for Speed, Versatility, and Business Growth
By Marco Villaruz ·
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® Launches Holiday Beverage Menu featuring Tiramisu Drinks and Seasonal Favorites
By Marco Villaruz ·
Rob Younger is handing Birkenstock of San Diego to his son and his longtime manager
By Marco Villaruz ·