James R Mills Building

I see this building everyday… It’s nice to know they honor the Military. Especially the ones that pass in TN by flying their flag half mass.

I am into design and architecture and value a lot the work done in San Diego in the fast few years in that area. The James R. Mills building with his gray concrete/​red steel imprint in the San Diego East Village landscape. I have passed by multiple times, but being a shady area in the city (you can easily find hundreds of homeless around) never really paid attention to the structure until the past Rock&Roll marathon, when I spent a while seating watching the runners reaching their fitness goals:). The clock tower is very easily spotted from everywhere and is as functional as aesthetical. Also I visited the market on the entrance level floor and it was well stocked, clean and perfectly located so close to the trolley station. Even if you don’t take any trolley trips, it is worth a visit.

the building is fine. my problem is with the parking fees. it is $ 0.75 per hour. today was the third time i have run to my car to avoid them charging me an extra hour. but each time I am charged an extra hour! today i went to the attendant and complained. he agreed that i had only been there less then one hour but stated that the machine rounds up and he could nothing about it. maybe $ 1.50 is nothing to some people but when you are going to the james r mills building to apply for government help when you are on hard times, it is a lot.

The 10-​story James R. Mills Building is built above the 12^th & Imperial Station in the East Village of San Diego .With a distinctive fifteen-​story clock tower and open plaza, the Mills building features a pedestrian-​oriented, urban environment that is a centerpiece for Centre City East (part of downtown San Diego’s redevelopment area). The headquarters building played a key role in the revitalization of this burgeoning San Diego neighborhood and has won many architecture design awards.
When I applied for a job at MTS. my interview took place at this building. Later on, employee training classes were held here. My son won a scholarship from MTS and the ceremony was held in the courtyard that I remember as an extremely windy place.
180,000 square feet of offices and a six-​story, 1,000 car parking garage serves the office building. Fantastic views await those who venture up to the top stories. The office tower spans directly over the 12^th and Imperial trolley station and provides a regional transportation station where San Diego’s three main trolley lines and major bus lines converge. This is kind of a rough part of town but I never had any problems here. On the lower level, there is a quickie market that sells coffee, snacks. newspapers and has a small seating area.
My mother knew James Mills when she was active politically back in the day. Mills was an assemblyman for the 79^th district that included downtown San Diego, North Park, and East San Diego. He made his name in San Diego as a historian, author, and was the political architect of getting Old Town State Park off the ground. James Mills was also an avid preservationist. He authored the Mills Act, which allows for cities and counties to create programs designed to aid in the historic preservation of structures. For a reduction in property taxes on historically designated properties, owners in return promise to maintain the property without significantly altering its appearance.
What is so nice is that the building named after him managed to preserve the landmark clock tower. 5 Unilocal STARS all the way!