San Diego, CA
20 Mar 2007
SurvivingChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), so can be assumed to be surviving at least as far as that date
as of Nov 2018
14th & Broadway, San Diego.
Here's an unusually complete (although probably non- working) shovel hat incandescent flood installation on a vacant lot. This was probably a car dealership, in addition to the shovel hats there are a couple of long throw incandescent floods- maybe for the sign- and a couple of shorter poles with 4- lamp fluorescent fixtures (first pic). There are 5 poles, each with 4 floods, so assuming each one was 1kW, that's a lot of light- well, a lot of loading at any rate.
Update Nov 2018: 11 years on from when I took those pics, this installation survives. The lot is occupied since 2016 by community gardening nonprofit, so perhaps this installation is safe for the meantime.
20 Mar 2007
20 Mar 2007
20 Mar 2007
20 Mar 2007
RemovedChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), removal happened as late as that date or before
as of Sep 2013
A great sight- this row of 9 Form 109s are on W Broadway between Pacific Hwy and N Harbor Dr, somehow having survived numerous changeouts. Check out the fullsize pics- they are in good condition. Let's hope they hang on a little longer!
Update Sep 2013: These fixtures are all gone. A streetscaping project at this end of Broadway means there is now no trace of the fixtures or poles left.
20 Mar 2007
20 Mar 2007
20 Mar 2007
09 Sep 2010
SurvivingChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), so can be assumed to be surviving at least as far as that date
as of Nov 2018
These mercury lamped teardrops are located on N Harbor Drive outside the County Administration building. They are still working as of September 2013, as is one of the PAR lamp clusters on top of the poles (the one in the LH pic, foreground). They are to light a statue in front of the building, and have 3 PAR64 lamps each. Even though the teardrops are series wired these extra fixtures are line voltage, fed from a separate conduit which enters the pole at the transformer base at the bottom.
Update Nov 2018: As of some time in 2014, the fixture in the righthand pic lost its lens, and lamp too so likely has not worked since then. For some reason the PARs were removed (or fell) also. Perhaps this could have been
the result of a collision, but the pole looks the same. Then, at some point in 2017, this pole acquired extra hardware in the form of some sort of RF gear.
The pole, fixture and PARs in the lefthand pic (foreground) are still largely intact. Whether the series loop is still energized or not, will have to wait until I visit again to check.
The pole, fixture and PARs in the lefthand pic (foreground) are still largely intact. Whether the series loop is still energized or not, will have to wait until I visit again to check.
09 Sep 2010
27 Apr 2016
RemovedChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), removal happened as late as that date or before
as of Nov 2016 (fixtures only)
These pics taken April 2016
These rather rusty looking but ornate structures (they were never gates as far as I know) are located on Adams Ave, between Winona Ave and 49th St in the Talmadge neighborhood which is in the Mid City part of San Diego. This neighborhood was built in the late 1920s, and my guess is these are probably original. The GE teardrops look like a later (1940s) addition, although they probably always had lights on them by the looks of things. There is one other of these light pole/gate type structures that we found in this neighborhood. When we visited in 2015 and 2016, the lights were not working.
As of Nov 2016, as part of a streetscaping project, the structures and lights were removed, the structures were repainted, and the lights replaced with modern multi sided lantern type fixtures. At some point after Apr 2017, they were returned.
27 Apr 2016
07 Feb 2019
SurvivingChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), so can be assumed to be surviving at least as far as that date
as of Feb 2019
These two pics courtesy of Jim Terry.
This is the Rolando neighborhood, also in the Mid City part of San Diego. As the location here is north of University Ave, it's Rolando Village, apparently. Several streets round this location are lit with an overhead wired series system, the luminaires being AE low pressure sodium.
07 Feb 2019
This neighborhood is older than the fixtures are, so I suspect at some point it was converted from an incandescent installation, possibly in the 1960s or 70s. The area round San Diego is home to
astronomical facilities with telescopes, and the astronomers have worked with the city for a long time, in order to reduce light pollution. At some point they persuaded the city to change its lighting
ordinance to favour low pressure sodium as a light source, and for many years LPS was the main light source for streetlighting in the city. Pockets of it still remain, and this is one of them.
As LPS lamps are not being made any more, this installation's days are numbered.
As LPS lamps are not being made any more, this installation's days are numbered.
03 Apr 2015
SurvivingChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), so can be assumed to be surviving at least as far as that date
as of mid 2019
These pics taken April 2015.
This is the Loma Portal neighborhood, just northwest of the airport. It was constructed in the 1920s, and is still home to a series lighting installation.
There are a variety of light and pole styles, including the local landmark of having acorns on concrete poles in the middle of a series of 4-way intersections laid out in a grid (LH pic).
There are also gumballs, and some unusual squat poles with what looks like the original lantern style fixtures on them.
03 Apr 2015