In honor of Liberty Station (libertystation.com) turning 100, here’s a by-the-numbers look at the historic former Naval Training Center (NTC) and current dining, arts and entertainment hub.
The number of specialized schools at the NTC in the late 1930s, which included an air conditioning school, a foundry and the Navy’s only chef school
The 100-year birthday of when the NTC opened. A centennial celebration in late October 2023 will feature Navy representatives, past and present community leaders, entertainment, collaborations with Liberty Station’s current businesses (such as a Centennial Ale from Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens) and more.
The total number of recruits who—along with 1 million school sailors—once walked on the grounds of Liberty Station, which stopped operating as a naval center in 1997
The number of recruits during the peak of World War II, when the NTC grew to accommodate the increased need for sailors. Women first came to the NTC in 1943, and from 1945 to 1990, San Diego was home to over one-sixth of the Navy’s fleet.
The year the NTC—the Navy’s first foothold in Southern California— began operating, after the assistant secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, recognized the grounds’ potential eight years earlier
A garden party held at Liberty Station PHOTO COURTESY OF LIBERTY STATION
The gate number at which a walking tour through Liberty Station begins. As part of the 2023 yearlong centennial programming, a newly built outside exhibition of character cutouts will highlight several decades of sailors, and a new docent program will include manned walking tour stops and video interviews with past recruits.
The number of buildings the NTC housed when the base expanded in 1993 from 235 acres to 550 acres
The number of buildings the NTC housed when the base expanded in 1993 from 235 acres to 550 acres The size, in acres, of the new community hub that Corky McMillin Companies began building in 2001. Today, the site includes 350 homes, over 100 acres of open space and promenades, more than 50 restaurants, 30 retail shops, 30 resident artists, four hotels, five schools, The Rock Church, 27 holes of golf and a new performing arts center opening in 2024.
“THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY IS NOT ONLY A MILESTONE FOR SAN DIEGO AND A TESTAMENT TO [LIBERTY STATION’S] RICH MILITARY HISTORY BUT ALSO THE CELEBRATION OF A SUCCESSFUL ADAPTIVE REUSE PROJECT.” –LAURIE ALBRECHT, DIRECTOR, LIBERTY STATION COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
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