Golden Hall, the 62-year-old indoor arena in the heart of San Diego's Civic Center that has sat empty since 2024, could soon be redeveloped by the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) thanks to an agreement signed Monday.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria joined SDCCD Chancellor Gregory Smith on Monday to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to begin evaluating a possible redevelopment of the site. They were joined by Prebys Foundation CEO Grant Oliphant and Downtown San Diego Partnership President/CEO Betsy Brennan who have been leading efforts to "revitalize San Diego's downtown center."
Monday's agreement will allow the district to look into converting the 3,200-person capacity building — long used as an Election Night headquarters for parties across the spectrum and from 2019-2024 as a temporary homeless shelter — into an educational and cultural campus.
"This is about putting a major civic site to better use for San Diegans. Golden Hall has served our city for nearly 70 years, and now we have an opportunity to transform it — making sure it delivers more value through education, arts, and community use," Gloria said. "We have to be smart about the assets we have, and this effort takes an innovative look at what's possible. It's the first step in exploring a future that reflects who we are today and where we're going."
The agreement serves multiple roles for the city, which has designs on redeveloping the entire civic core but lacks the funding to do so on its own. SDCCD could alleviate some of the financial burden.
"We appreciate and celebrate the visionary leadership of Mayor Gloria and our City Council in reimagining civic center as a cultural hub for San Diego," Smith said. "Today we take a significant step forward in expanding our service to San Diego as we work to bring the Mesa College World Art Collection and educational programs downtown to be accessible for all San Diegans."
Golden Hall was built in 1962 and served as the venue for many concerts. In the 1973-74 basketball season, the short-lived San Diego Conquistadors of the American Basketball Association played in the hall, coached by Wilt Chamberlain.
The site was approved as a temporary shelter in 2019 by the San Diego City Council and took on a greater role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Golden Hall was damaged in 2024's heavy winter rains, and was shuttered as a homeless shelter. According to a report issued in 2023 by San Diego's Independent Budget Analyst, it would cost at least $9.3 million in improvements to operate Golden Hall as a permanent shelter.
"Golden Hall has long been part of San Diego's civic story, and this partnership advances the vision to revitalize that space in ways that can serve the public for generations to come," Oliphant said. "As downtown San Diego evolves, this effort brings together education, arts and culture, public space, and housing in ways that can help create a more vibrant and connected city."
The Prebys Foundation and Downtown San Diego Partnership announced their intent in supporting early planning efforts for redevelopment. Over the next six months, SDCCD will assess how feasible any such project will be.
"Today's MOU signing marks an important next step in the collaborative effort to revitalize Downtown San Diego's Civic Center and plays a key role in creating `America's Outdoor Downtown,"' Brennan said. "This work is about partnership and shared leadership, and we are encouraged to see the city of San Diego and the San Diego Community College District advancing a vision centered on education, public space, arts and culture, and long-term economic opportunity. This is the type of transformational investment that will help redefine downtown."
Any future agreement for the site would require approval by the San Diego City Council.
