Island Icons: Done and Leslie Budinger

Don Budinger and his wife Leslie are lifetime benefactors of the Coronado Historical Association. CHA’s current headquarters would not be possible without the visionary and philanthropic assistance of the Budingers, which began in 1999 and continues to this day.

Soon after moving their summer home from the mountains of Arizona to Coronado, Don and Leslie had the idea to purchase and renovate the historic 1100 Orange Avenue landmark. Designed in 1910 by nationally-recognized San Francisco based architects MacDonald and Applegarth, the neo-classical building features many Beaux-Arts elements such as a symmetrical plan and monumental columns. The Budingers invested millions to restore the exterior of the building to its initial grandeur, revealing the large plate glass windows at the street level and resurfacing the exterior. The majestic building has had several uses over the years, starting with the Bank of Commerce and Trust, then the Bank of America, and lastly the Marcos restaurant.

1999 was a milestone year for CHA. On its 30th anniversary, the Budingers gifted the historic 1100 Orange Avenue building to CHA allowing CHA to move its headquarters, museum, and collections repository from their location on Loma Avenue

to a permanent location in the heart of downtown Coronado. The building and vision of the Budingers allowed CHA to become a modern museum. “We are so grateful for this opportunity to support the strategic vision of the Coronado Historical Association, which we believe is a vital resource and important cornerstone of our community,” Don Budinger said.

The Budingers gift of the landmark building that CHA calls home had three components over a thirty-year time period:

(1) Complete restoration and continued maintenance of the building, (2) exclusive use of the entire building at a discounted rent, and (3) transfer of title in 2030 with the option to take title as early as 2020.

In late 2021, CHA’s Board of Directors worked with the Budingers to complete the transfer of title of the building. By completing the transfer of title of the property, the Budingers realized their vision of sustaining CHA and ensuring its role as Coronado’s archivist and historian for the community, well into the future.

The extraordinary agreement between CHA and the Budingers represents an important cooperation between a private citizen and a civic purposed nonprofit to partner together in service to the people

of Coronado. To help CHA become the steward of Coronado’s history, its presentation and preservation was the objective.

“This idea is rooted in a key Budinger family value – To leave the Country and local community in better condition than it was given to us,” Don explained as to why he offered such a generous gift to the citizens of Coronado. For their support of CHA, the Budingers were awarded the Spreckels Award in August 2022 at the annual Spreckels Society Summer Party at Carolyn Elledge-Baker and Bud Baker’s home.

In addition to the Historic Bank of Commerce building, Don and Leslie bought and restored the carriage house and servant’s quarters of the Rew-Sharp mansion on Alameda. In 2002, their efforts were rewarded with the presentation of the Cobb-MacCartee Preservation Award. The Budingers continue to be avid supporters of Coronado Historical Association’s mission of history, community, and education.