There is a historic house on Maple Street that quietly connects several important chapters of San Diego history.
At 210 Maple St. in Bankers Hill stands the Wegeforth House, built for Dr. Harry Wegeforth, the physician who helped establish the San Diego Zoological Society and whose efforts led to the creation of the San Diego Zoo. Today, the house is the headquarters of the Junior League of San Diego and is designated San Diego Historic Landmark No. 156.
The story of the house began in 1916, when San Diego pioneer Ralph Granger commissioned architect Louis Gill to design a home for his daughter Rachel and her husband, Harry Wegeforth. Gill, nephew of the better-known architect Irving Gill, had worked in his uncle’s office and later formed the firm Gill & Gill with him…