If you’ve driven along Interstate 8 in Mission Valley lately like some of our readers, you may have spotted construction, heavy grading, and a new, modern building at 1561 Camino del Rio S., near the Carvana property and longtime Scottish Rite Event Center.
That shiny building is the Scottish Rite Valley of San Diego’s new home — and it’s not the only change coming over the next year or two. Despite initial traffic concerns, a new Home Depot store is planned for the site of the original Scottish Rite Center, which is set to be demolished.
We did some digging into where the highly-visible development project stands today.
🏗️ The Scottish Rite Center
San Diego City Council greenlit the project in early 2021, followed by approval from the Mission Valley Planning Group in early 2022, permitting, and a groundbreaking in August 2022.
At 40,000-sqft, the new, two-story Scottish Rite of San Diego building is smaller than the original 64,000-sqft Scottish Rite Center and will no longer operate as an events rental space. Anyone else have winter formal memories here?
Scottish Rite staffers have started moving into the new building and held their first Masonic meeting there last week.
As for the old Scottish Rite Center, longtime San Diegans will remember the 1950s building was originally built as The Bowlero, an upscale bowling alley billed as “the largest, fully automatic bowling center in the United States.” The Scottish Rite bought the building in the 1960s.
Although some local historic preservationists oppose its demolition, it’s not a historically designated building. Demo is expected in 2024.
This rendering via city planning documents in 2020 shows the vision for The Home Depot in Mission Valley.
Rendering via City of San Diego documents
🔨 The Home Depot
Per city documents, The Home Depot has agreed to incorporate some “Googie” architectural elements of the original Scottish Rite building into its new store, including an “upsweep angular element in the façade, diamond panels, and a pedestrian entry element that picks up concepts from the Bowlero pylon sign in homage to the existing resource.”
Evelyn Fornes, senior manager of public affairs at The Home Depot, told SDtoday the construction site spans 7.92 acres. The new store will be 135,253 sqft and include 378 at-grade parking spots.
Fornes said the site is currently in permitting and construction is expected to begin in spring 2024. The store is expected to open “a little after a year from the start of construction” and will seek to hire approximately 175 associates.