The San Diego Humane Society's longstanding Sherman Street location, which provided care for homeless animals over the past 68 years, officially closes its doors this weekend, the organization said Thursday.
The Humane Society's lease with the city expires on Sunday, ending a long chapter in the organization's history.
"Sherman has always been the rock," SDHS president and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman said. "It's the place where our programs were born."
The Humane Society moved animals into the former milk plant at 887 Sherman Street in 1951.
The location housed the Humane Society's Law Enforcement division, the Project Wildlife program for animal rehabilitation and conservation, and the Behavior Center, where animals with behavior issues were trained and prepared for adoption.
Adoptions were handled at the Sherman Street address until the Humane Society moved to its Gaines Street headquarters in 2003.
The Law Enforcement division was moved to the nearby Gaines Street facility last year, while Project Wildlife moved this month into the new Pilar and Chuck Badhe Wildlife Center, also on Gaines Street. The Behavior Center is slated to open at a new Gaines Street facility this summer.
Meanwhile, the Sherman Street property was purchased by the city last year for its Pure Water Program.
"It will be sad to see it go, but I think we are heading to bigger and better things," Animal Services Director Danielle Xavier said. "Sometimes we have to close old doors to open new ones, and we're ready."
