Thumbs up for Leila in North Park (By James Tran)
Good Designs, Bad Designs
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
The San Diego Architectural Foundation is closing out the year with its annual round of public praise and criticisms directed at various architectural structures and interior-designs seen around San Diego. The good projects are awarded ‘orchids.” The bad ones are stuck with ‘onions.’
A panel of evaluators carefully reviews dozens of yearly nominations, and base their decisions on a number of criteria that includes everything from aesthetic appeal (or not) and construction methods to functionality and environmental awareness.
Orchids that were fetched within metro San Diego went to a couple of hot dining establishments in North Park, plus to the freshly renovated Balboa Park Botanical Building, which won for its “historical preservation.”
The 1915 structure, famous for its stunning use of redwood materials, was painstakingly restored with both steel and redwood. The project adhered to the preservation of architectural details and rare plantings in and around the property.
Two orchids for exceptional interior design went to the Middle Eastern-inspired Leila restaurant at 3956 30th St., and to Lou Lou’s Jungle Room and Supper Club, located inside the Lafayette Hotel at 2225 El Cajon Blvd. Both establishments, and the Lafayette, are owned by CH Projects.
Leila was cited for its tapestries, tiles and complex millwork, which beckon to “the bustling night markets of Morocco,” as stated by the award judges. Kudos were also given to Leila’s 18-foot water feature, a starry ceiling, and eye-catching kitchen equipment that includes a “showpiece clay oven.”
It came as no surprise that Lou Lou’s also fetched an orchid, given how the venue accurately pulls off a 1920s-era jazz supper club. The historic clam-shell stage used for live music remains intact, thanks to careful restoration. It is the same stage that highlighted an appearance or two by legendary hotel guest Bob Hope. Plush banquettes, vintage light fixtures and a red-fringed ceiling were also recognized.
In Downtown San Diego, a big fat onion went to the “disappointing” redevelopment of Horton Plaza by Stockdale Capital Partners. The once colorful, thriving shopping mall has turned into The Campus at Horton, a currently-stalled mixed-use office/retail venture “that has created an eyesore in the heart of San Diego,” the judges wrote.
Indeed, what the public sees so far are a cluster of bland, lifeless, white structures. The award summary goes on to say: “It has left a vital downtown space in a state of neglect.”
Click here for the complete countywide list of 2025 winners and losers.
