Sidewalk Stories

Builders and dreamers have left their mark

Coronado sidewalks tell their own history. I have always been fascinated by their contractor stamps and the random graffiti that has crept in over the years. Originally, owners were responsible for paving in front of their properties, which may explain why some blocks have as many as three different contractor stamps. Eventually the city took over, making sidewalks an infrastructure priority. Most city sidewalks were poured between 1910 and 1915. Based on the timing, I speculate that city leaders wanted the town looking tip-top for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park, knowing that people from all over the world would be visiting. — Leslie Crawford