A specialist in 19th and 20th-century American architecture and urban planning, Dr. Diane Kane of La Jolla is being honored for lifetime achievement in Save Our Heritage Organisation’s 42nd annual People In Preservation Awards.

SOHO’s annual awards salute those safeguarding San Diego’s rich historical tapestry. This year’s event spotlights three transformative themes: the triumph of National Historic Districts, the ingenuity of adaptive reuse, and the enduring impact of lifetime preservationists in historic preservation.

Kane’s PIP award wasn’t expected. “I did not know, it was a complete surprise,” said the architectural preservationist.

“It was serendipity to a certain extent,” Kane added of how her career got started and developed. “My father was an engineer who built our house,” she noted adding she got first-hand exposure early on helping out at construction sites. “My grandfather was a mason and I helped him laying bricks,” she said. “It was just part of my upbringing.”

Kane, whose mom was an artist, got introduced to historical preservation with an art history class as a university undergraduate. It opened up a whole new career vista for her. “Nobody was in architectural history, which was dead because of modernism,” she said. “Architectural history wasn’t considered worthy at that time.”

Among those few early-on in the historical architectural field, Kane said she was one of those who “got those early jobs and created a new discipline,” adding, “It was fun: I was very fortunate.”

Kane was involved in a successful, recent, years-long project involving the creation of a new La Jolla Park Coastal Historical District firmly anchored around iconic Ellen Browning Scripps Park. The historic district, which now includes La Jolla Cove and Children’s Pool, is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Southern California.

Kane, LJHS historian Carol Olten, and LJHS executive director Lauren Lockhart, along with USD professor Dr. Molly McClainand, and Seonaid McArthur, a specialist in contemporary art, American art, and European art including painting, sculpture, prints, and photography, who was the primary author on the La Jolla Park NR District, “Put all our heads together creating this large district and dumping everything into it that went together,” noted Kane, who also worked closely with La Jolla architect Ione Stiegler on renovating Wisteria Cottage, La Jolla Historical Society’s home.

Asked what advice she’d give aspiring historical preservationists, Kane concluded: “You need to have a very long time horizon – and a huge amount of patience.”

But it’s all worth it Kane concluded, imploring those interested in history and architecture to “follow what you love to do because there is going to be a job. My generation started a whole new field of preservation. But we are retiring. We need people to replace us.”

SAVE OUR HERITAGE ORGANISATION

SOHO is a private, member-based nonprofit formed in 1969. Based in Balboa Park, SOHO manages and operates historic sites and resources throughout San Diego County. Working on a wide range of preservation issues throughout San Diego County, SOHO’s advocacy efforts share a common goal: to protect and preserve the historic architectural and cultural resources of our region.

KANE CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

– A retired senior planner from the Historic Resources Section of the City of San Diego Planning Department, between 2003-2007, Kane supervised large-scale historic surveys as part of the long-range planning process.

– From 1989-2003, she was the architectural historian and heritage resources coordinator for Caltrans, District 7 in Los Angeles, where she authored over 20 cultural resource reports for Sec. 106 and CEQA review of historic properties affected by transportation projects. Her innovative approaches to historic resource mitigation, multi-modal transportation solutions, community involvement, and environmental enhancement resulted in over 26 national, state, and local awards and commendations.

– Kane has taught Western and American art, architectural history, and planning to both professional and general interest audiences for over 35 years. Institutions where she has taught include the New School of Architecture, the Design Institute, SDSU, Cal Poly, Pomona, UC San Diego, and UCLA Extension.