By George Franck and Katherine Hon

Karon and Don Covington comfortably ensconced on the front porch swing of their home on 28th Street in 2002. (Courtesy of the Covington Family)

“Don was foremost a teacher. He shared what he understood in a series of lectures in the community and at the San Diego Historical Society. He taught college students at SDSU fine arts, interior design and how to appreciate it by understanding history. He and Karon (his wife) taught an entire city that older neighborhoods are not just old houses, but treasures to be preserved, restored and celebrated. Their ability to communicate the importance of 20th Century Arts & Crafts design and architecture is why North Park is in renaissance today.”

That tribute was written following Donald Covington’s death in 2002 by Tom Shess, the Covingtons’ neighbor and a founder of the North Park News community newspaper. In it, Shess captures both Don’s deep commitment to the community of North Park and his wider influence upon the city through his work with the historical society now known as the San Diego History Center.

Holding degrees in Art from Southern Methodist University and the University of California, Los Angeles, Covington was a Professor of Design in the Art Department at San Diego State University. He also was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Karon (1930-2012) was his partner in the extensive historical research that they did on the architect of their home, the development of their neighborhood, and the evolution of the larger architectural community.

The Covingtons lived in a classic two-story Arts & Crafts home a block north of Balboa Park designed by master-builder David Owen Dryden in 1916. Don and Karon restored the exterior of their house in great detail. The kitchen and bathrooms were modernized with the use of materials and design that Don derived from the home’s original Arts & Crafts details.

In researching their home, Don became aware of some 20 other homes designed by Dryden in their immediate neighborhood. Continuing their initial focus on Dryden, the Covingtons began a long process of identifying his work. Don’s paper on the work of Dryden was published in the Winter 1991 issue of the Journal of San Diego History.

Based on their research, the Covingtons developed the idea of creating a Historic District in their neighborhood. By talking informally with neighbors and through numerous neighborhood events, the couple generated significant support for the creation of the North Park Dryden Historic District, which was finally approved by the San Diego City Council in 2011.

During the 1990s, Don assisted in the creation of the Burlingame Historic District through his research paper entitled “Burlingame: A Tract of Character, 1912-1914,” which was published in the Summer 1993 issue of the Journal of San Diego History. He published his book on the history of Burlingame in 1997. The book, featuring Don’s charming drawings of 30 individual homes, was reprinted by the North Park Historical Society with permission of the Covington family in 2010, and is still available.

North Park, A San Diego Urban Village, 1896-1946, the definitive history of the first 50 years of North Park, was begun in 1988 as one of the main activities of the History Committee of the North Park Community Association (NPCA). An active group, Committee members undertook historical research under Don’s general direction. Some of this research was initially published as “Once Upon a Time in North Park,” a series of articles in the NPCA monthly newsletter. Using this research, Don and Karon began assembling what became known simply as “the book.” Following Don’s death, the text was finalized by Katherine Hon — who had followed in Karon’s footsteps as Secretary of the History Committee — with Karon’s assistance. The book was published in 2007 and remains available from the North Park Historical Society by contacting info@northparkhistory.com.

Taken together, Don’s lectures and the publications that appeared under his byline with the invaluable assistance of Karon, documented in detail the crucial years of growth for several historic sections in the urban heart of San Diego. Moreover, using that documentation, the couple led efforts to preserve those same neighborhoods. For all their efforts, the city at large and North Park in particular will remain forever indebted to the Covingtons.

George Franck is Vice-President of the North Park Historical Society.
Katherine Hon is Secretary of the North Park Historical Society.