SAVE OUR HERITAGE ORGANISATION

What SAVE OUR HERITAGE ORGANISATION does

Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) historic preservation organization founded in 1969 and headquartered in San Diego, California, with a staff of approximately 7 employees. The organization combines three integrated functions: direct operation of historic house museums, community-led preservation advocacy, and educational programming. SOHO operates the Marston House Museum & Gardens (a 1905 Arts and Crafts estate designed by Hebbard & Gill), the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House Museum (a National Historic Landmark stagecoach stop built in 1857, owned by Vista Irrigation District and operated by SOHO), and holds a lease on the Adobe Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in Old Town. It also stewards additional properties including the Santa Ysabel General Store.

SOHO's core offerings span paid museum tours ($10-$20 per person), an annual membership program providing discounts across tours, lectures, and shop purchases, event-based programming (the Music at the Marston concert series, Penning the Past lecture series, Third Sunday walking tours), venue rentals for weddings and private events, museum shop sales, and publications including Our Heritage Magazine and the bi-monthly Our Heritage eNews. Educational products extend to online exhibits, coloring pages, jigsaw puzzles, and digital resources for K-12 educators. A significant archival asset is the Whaley Family Special Library Collection, containing over 13,000 letters and 19th-century documents accessible online.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit model: episodic and recurring individual donations (including a $750,000 bequest in 2015), annual membership subscriptions, transaction-based tour and event ticket revenue, museum shop sales, and grants. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Distribution is conducted through physical museum sites, a Zeffy-powered online ticketing channel, email newsletters, YouTube, multiple Facebook pages, and earned media in outlets such as the San Diego Union-Tribune, KPBS, and Voice of San Diego. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Bruce Coons, with Susan Brandt-Hawley serving as legal counsel for CEQA-related litigation against the City of San Diego.

Name

SAVE OUR HERITAGE ORGANISATION

Legal name

Save Our Heritage Organisation

Website

https://sohosandiego.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1969, that operates historic house museums, runs tours, lectures and concerts, and conducts community-led preservation advocacy and litigation to protect San Diego's architectural heritage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Preservation and Museum Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Historic preservation advocacy
• Heritage museum operations
• Historic site tours
• Cultural heritage education
• Preservation legal action

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admissions and Tours: Revenue generated from paid tours of historic sites including the Marston House Museum & Gardens, Bankers Hill Walking Tours, Seventh Avenue Walking Tours, and Warner-Carrillo Ranch House. Tour prices range from $10-20 per person with discounts for members.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership program providing benefits including discounts on tours, events, and museum shop purchases. Members receive free or discounted access to programs like Penning the Past lecture series and Music at the Marston concerts.
3. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting historic preservation advocacy. Includes specific funds like the Legal Defense Fund for litigation efforts and general operational support.
4. Museum Shop Sales: Revenue from museum gift shops at Marston House and other historic sites, selling books, souvenirs, and historic preservation-related merchandise.
5. Event Tickets and Venue Rentals: Revenue from concert series (Music at the Marston), lecture programs, and wedding/event rentals at historic venues. Ticket prices for concerts are $10 for members and $15 for non-members.
6. Private Donations and Bequests: In 2015, SOHO received a substantial bequest of $750,000 from a Rancho Santa Fe woman, demonstrating significant individual donor support for the organization's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SOHO is a nonprofit heritage preservation organization that operates three historic house museums in San Diego, offers public tours, lectures, concerts, and educational programs, and engages in preservation advocacy including legal action to protect endangered historic sites. Its core deliverables are museum admission experiences, ticketed heritage events, K-12 educational programming, and published advocacy and litigation support.

Product overview

Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) is a nonprofit historic preservation organization offering a portfolio of visitor-facing programs and services centered on San Diego's architectural and cultural heritage. The core offerings include museum tours at the Marston House Museum & Gardens and the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House, both operated by SOHO. Educational programming features the Penning the Past lecture series, Music at the Marston concert series, and digital resources including online exhibits, coloring pages, and jigsaw puzzles. The organization also provides venue rentals for events, operates museum shops, publishes Our Heritage Magazine, maintains the Whaley Family digital archives, and conducts advocacy through legal action and its Most Endangered List program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marston House Museum Tours Public tours of the historic Marston House, a landmark Irving J. Gill residence operated by SOHO, offered to general visitors, school groups, and tour participants.
• Warner-Carrillo Ranch House Museum Tours Public tours of the historic Warner-Carrillo Ranch House, an early California ranch-era site preserved and interpreted by SOHO for visitors and educational groups.
• Adobe Chapel Museum Tours Public tours of the historic Adobe Chapel, one of the oldest surviving religious structures in San Diego, preserved and interpreted by SOHO.
• Ticketed Heritage Events (Concerts and Lectures) Ticketed concerts, lectures, and special heritage events produced by SOHO for members and the general public, typically held at SOHO museum sites or partner venues.
• Educational Programs for Teachers and Students Structured K-12 educational programs offered at SOHO's historic house museums for teachers, school groups, and homeschool families focused on local San Diego history.
• Wedding and Private Event Rentals Rental of SOHO's historic house museums as venues for weddings, receptions, and private events, offered to couples, event planners, and organizations.
• SOHO Museum Shop On-site and online museum shop selling heritage-themed merchandise and publications, with proceeds supporting SOHO's preservation mission.
• Preservation Advocacy and Legal Action Advocacy and legal action services defending endangered historic sites in San Diego, including representation in preservation litigation and public advocacy campaigns.
• SOHO Membership Program Annual membership program offering members benefits such as discounted event tickets and museum access in exchange for dues that fund SOHO's preservation work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Preservation of historic districts at twice the density growth rate compared to other San Diego neighborhoods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Vista Irrigation District (VID)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1962Vista Irrigation District owns the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House property and partnered with SOHO to operate and manage the site as a museum. SOHO played an integral role in saving the site from demolition and continues restoration efforts. VID's conservation of surrounding lands (40,000+ acres) has preserved the historic setting.
• Susan Brandt-Hawley (Legal Counsel)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCalifornia Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) legal authority serving as SOHO's legal counsel for preservation litigation against the City of San Diego regarding the Preservation and Progress project.
• PlaceEconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational expert on benefits of preservation engaged by SOHO and partners to produce independent economic study (The Urban Vitality Blueprint) on preservation's economic impacts in San Diego's historic districts.
• Mission Hills HeritagemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in advocacy coalition against the City's Preservation and Progress proposals, representing specific neighborhood preservation interests.
• City of San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComplex relationship: SOHO holds lease to operate Adobe Chapel, collaborates on some preservation efforts, but is currently in litigation over the City's Preservation and Progress program and historic designation decisions.
• Whaley FamilymajorOthersDonated extensive family archives (13,000+ letters and historical documents) to SOHO for preservation and public access through digitization project.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Preservation Chicago: Chicago nonprofit historic preservation advocacy and education organization. Comparable to SOHO in mission, advocacy approach, most-endangered list programs, and tour/community engagement model.
• California Preservation Foundation: California statewide nonprofit focused on historic preservation advocacy, education, and policy. Most directly comparable to SOHO as a regional preservation nonprofit operating in the same geography with similar advocacy and educational programming.
• Los Angeles Conservancy: Southern California nonprofit historic preservation organization offering walking tours, advocacy, and educational programming. Closest geographic and programmatic peer to SOHO with overlapping tour/membership/advocacy model.
• Preservation Virginia: Statewide nonprofit operating historic house museums, advocacy, and preservation services. Comparable to SOHO in the combination of museum operations and advocacy, though at a wider geographic scope.
• Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia: Regional nonprofit delivering preservation advocacy, walking tours, and educational programming in a major U.S. city. Comparable to SOHO as a city-level preservation nonprofit with similar programmatic mix.
• San Diego History Center: San Diego-based museum and historical society operating exhibits, archives, and educational programming. Comparable to SOHO due to shared geography, museum operations, archive stewardship, and educational programming.

Others

• Heritage Preservation (NPS-affiliated): National nonprofit historically focused on conservation of cultural heritage collections. Adjacent to SOHO's archive and museum conservation work but with a national scope and distinct funding model.

Regional players

• Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation: San Diego-based historic preservation nonprofit focused on the Gaslamp Quarter. Comparable to SOHO due to same city, similar mission, and similar tour/advocacy programming, but narrower geographic focus.
• Balboa Park Conservancy: San Diego nonprofit focused on preserving and enhancing Balboa Park's cultural and historic assets. Comparable to SOHO due to shared San Diego location and similar preservation mission, including overlap on the Plaza de Panama litigation history.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: Largest U.S. private heritage preservation organization with preservation advocacy, historic site stewardship, and a network of local partners. Functions as a national-scale analog of SOHO's mission and operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/SOHOSanDiego
• Facebookfacebook.com/SOHOSanDiego
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/save-our-heritage-organisation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAVE OUR HERITAGE ORGANISATION