Live Nation Entertainment plans to convert a historic former Wonder Bread factory in downtown San Diego into a live music hub, the latest move the major venue operator to repurpose vintage real estate in a downtown area.
The operator of about 400 U.S. entertainment venues has filed plans with the city to convert the property built in 1924 at 105-171 14th St. in downtown’s East Village neighborhood. Live Nation plans to restore the building’s original brick façade and incorporate a storage silo, among other elements, to create a 4,000-seat concert hub set to open in 2028.
Live Nation’s goals for the venue, expected to host 85 to 90 shows annually, include “closing a gap in San Diego’s market that has long left mid-size touring artists without a downtown home,” the company said in a statement.
“This project represents an investment in San Diego’s future as a destination for live music and entertainment,” John Schalk, Live Nation’s San Diego regional vice president, said in the statement. “We’ve been missing a venue of this size, and this project will help attract a broader range of touring artists, bring more shows to the region, and contribute to the continued growth and energy of downtown.”
CoStar data shows that Beverly Hills, California-based Live Nation purchased the 51,000-square-foot property for about $16.8 million in late June. The seller was private investor Torrey Lee, part of a San Diego family that has owned the building since 2009, according to CoStar data and the Live Nation statement.
Lee and Megan Heine, another family member, said in the Live Nation statement that the planned conversion will give the property “a new purpose that will serve the community for generations to come.”
Live Nation did not disclose a dollar figure for its planned investment in the conversion and did not respond to emailed requests Tuesday from CoStar News for an additional comment.
Seeking economic rejuvenation
But Live Nation said an analysis conducted for the firm by Oxford Economics estimated the venue would generate $97 million in annual economic impact, garnering 316,000 visitors each year, with 126,000 of them traveling from outside the San Diego region. Those visitors would drive $53 million in spending at nearby restaurants, hotels and retail establishments, supporting 660 jobs, according to the consulting firm.
Still known as the Wonder Bread Building, the factory baked its last loaf in October 2007. It was converted by subsequent owners into commercial space housing numerous tenants, most recently including beermaker Mission Brewery, which opened there in 2011.
Mission Brewery has announced that its business at that location will close on Aug. 31, though it continues to operate at four other venues in the region. Other tenants are expected to relocate from the former bread factory, including New School of Architecture and Outside the Lens, a nonprofit organization that provides arts-related training for young people.
Live Nation’s planned conversion has garnered approval from groups including Save Our Heritage Organisation, a property preservation group that has long fought to protect older historic San Diego properties from demolition.
“Restoring the building’s character-defining historic facade, retaining and renovating the historic silo, and recovering the building’s earliest brick façade from its concrete entombment is a major step in the right direction,” Bruce Coons, executive director of the preservation group, said in the Live Nation statement.
“At the same time, incorporating a new entertainment facility demonstrates how historic resources can be preserved while continuing to serve San Diego’s future.” Coons said.
Live Nation said San Diego “currently has no purpose-built venue between its small clubs and its large arenas.” Live Nation’s chain of House of Blues live-music clubs, including the venue in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, have capacities of around 1,200, and several were opened in older, converted commercial buildings.
In downtown Atlanta, Live Nation is partnering with developers of the Centennial Yards mixed-use redevelopment project to operate a new 5,300-seat live music venue that is slated to open in the third quarter of 2027.
The Wonder Bread property is about 2 miles from Petco Park, built in 2004 as the downtown home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres. The 40,000-seat ballpark hosts numerous large concerts and sports events when the Padres aren’t playing there.
A federal jury in April found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary acted as an illegal monopoly, after a lawsuit was filed by more than 30 states. The federal court is still deciding on its punishment, which could include having to shed some of its venues, and Live Nation has filed motions to vacate the jury’s verdict.