San Diego Honors Local Preservation Efforts
The Save Our Heritage Organisation recognized residents for their efforts in restoring historic local landmarks.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Awards
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The Save Our Heritage Organisation presented its 2026 People in Preservation Awards to Inder and Grietje Verma and Robert Thiele. These honors recognize individuals who demonstrate a commitment to protecting and restoring local history in the San Diego area.
Why it matters
Preservation awards help maintain the cultural identity and aesthetic heritage of the region by incentivizing private owners and volunteers to commit to the long-term maintenance of historic properties.
The awards program is in its 44th year of operation. Recipients were honored for projects ranging from a two-year modernist home restoration to a five-year effort that included the installation of 1,000-pound bronze grizzly bears on a museum roof.
The players
Save Our Heritage Organisation
This organization is dedicated to identifying, preserving, and educating the public about the historical resources of San Diego.
Inder and Grietje Verma
These residents are known for their commitment to preserving modernist architecture in the La Jolla neighborhood.
Robert Thiele
Thiele is a long-term volunteer with the Balboa Park Committee of 100 who specializes in complex architectural restoration.
San Diego Automotive Museum
This museum, located in Balboa Park, serves as a hub for the exhibition of classic and vintage vehicles.
The details
Inder and Grietje Verma earned the Residential Restoration: Reviving a Modernist Legacy award for using original blueprints by architect Sim Bruce Richards on their home. Robert Thiele received the Architectural Stewardship award for his five-year project restoring 8-by-18-foot murals and bronze bears at the San Diego Automotive Museum.
Timeline
The Verma home was originally constructed in 1959.
The Vermas purchased their La Jolla home in 1996.
Robert Thiele completed his mural restoration work in 2020.
The Vermas completed their home renovation project between 2024 and 2026.
The awards were presented in 2026.
Culture Shift
These awards reflect a broader societal trend toward community-led historic preservation that mirrors the principles of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act. This movement shifts the responsibility of protecting landmarks from solely governmental agencies to private citizens and local advocacy groups.
Residents can observe the restored murals at the San Diego Automotive Museum as part of their regular visit to Balboa Park. These preservation efforts ensure that historic aesthetics remain a permanent fixture in the local landscape for future neighborhood residents.
The takeaway
Historic preservation requires significant personal commitment and a willingness to utilize original technical documentation to maintain authenticity. Homeowners and volunteers can contribute to local identity by documenting their restoration processes to aid future conservation efforts.
Further reading
Explore more local honors in our Awards section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by San Diego Union-Tribune.
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