Talmadge

Talmadge is located on the eastern edge of the City of San Diego just south of Mission Valley.   The area takes it's name from the Talmadge sisters--Norma, Constance and Natalie.  All of the sisters were notable silent film stars.  Norma was married to John Shenick, president of United Artists Corporation.  Shenick and his brother-in-laws, working with real estate developers Roy and Guy Lichty, subdivided the Talmadge community in the 1920s.  Three streets of the sub-division were named for the famous sisters, and they attended the openings and other events.

The Talmadge Gates set the neighborhood apart.  Eight decorative forged-iron gates were installed in 1927. In 1998, Talmadge residents raised over $100,000 to restore the gates to their original glory.  Each one was removed in turn, sand- blasted, rewired and returned to its original design erasing years of neglect and vandalism.  They stand again proudly setting the tone for the neighborhood. 

To accomplish this project, the residents of the area formed the Talmadge Maintenance Assessment District (T-MAD) to restore and maintain the quality of life of the area.  In addition to the gate restoration project, T-MAD is also coordinating the improvements to the traffic circle at 49th and Adams Avenue. Over 400 trees were planted in 2000-2002 as part of the area's beautification projects.

Originally designed to be a self-contained residential district that was advertised as a place where children could go to school from kindergarten through college without ever leaving, Talmadge is still a charming place to live and work near to the heart of the city

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