Memorial and prominent landmark located on top of Mount Soledad in the La Jolla neighborhood, featuring the third Christian cross in that location

General Information

Hours:

Beach open from 6am to sunset

Fees:

No fee

Pet Policy:

Dogs are not allowed on any area of the Coronado Beach except at Dog Beach, which is a sandy area at the north end of the beach.

Closest cities with hotels:

San Diego

Seasons:

Seasons: All year

Location:

Website:

Rating:

★ 5.0

How to Get There

Overview

The Mount Soledad Cross (formerly known as the Mount Soledad Easter Cross) is a prominent landmark located on top of Mount Soledad in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California. The present structure was erected in 1954; it is the third Christian cross in that location, the first having been put up in 1913. Architect Donald Campbell designed the present cross in prestressed concrete. It is 29 feet (8.8 m) tall (43 feet [13 m] including the base) with a 12-foot (3.7 m) arm spread. It is the centerpiece of the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.

History

Three differently shaped Christian crosses have been constructed since 1913 on city government property at the apex of Mt. Soledad (Mt. Soledad Natural Park) in the community of La Jolla. The original wooden cross on Mt. Soledad was erected in 1913 by private citizens living in La Jolla and Pacific Beach, but was stolen in 1923; later that year it was affixed back in the ground in Mt. Soledad Natural Park and later burned. The second cross was erected in 1934 by a private group of Protestant Christians from La Jolla and Pacific Beach. This sturdier, stucco-over-wood frame cross was blown down by blustery winds in 1952. A windstorm damaged one of the side bars in 1955 and the concrete structure had to be repaired.

The present cross, 29 feet (9 m) tall on top of a 14-foot (4 m)-tall stepped platform, was installed in 1954. It was initially called the "Mount Soledad Easter Cross" and Easter services were held there every Sunday for 40 years. The word "Easter" was dropped in the 1980s. It is now known as the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.

Besides the cross, the memorial includes six walls with granite plaques depicting veterans, military units, or groups.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mount Soledad Cross", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0