Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Ten-year-old Tijuana coffeehouse demolished

La Casa de la Nueve hosted bands and high schoolers

La Casa de la Nueve, situated on 9th street in downtown Tijuana, is no more. On November 6, the coffeehouse and live-music venue was demolished, much to the surprise of its previous tenants.

Married couple Margarita González and Jason Guevara rented the space in 2003 with the intent to promote art and great coffee. Margarita handled the events and promotions, Jason worked the kitchen.

In 2011, González and Guevara split up. Guevara was left with the coffeehouse and González moved on to other opportunities as an event promoter. Facing financial problems that Jason could not solve by himself, La Casa closed its doors in October. 



Sponsored
Sponsored

“There was a lot of pressure from the owners,” says González. “They changed the contract from pesos to dollars, they kept pressuring us to get out. They told my ex-husband that they would take the house somewhere else, never mentioned anything about demolishing. It took us all by surprise to see it torn to bits.

“Supposedly, [the owners] were going to move the house somewhere else. The house came from the U.S.A. and it was a gift to the original owner. I even found a calendar from 1943 inside. That house had a lot of history and it was part of the identity of Tijuana.” 

The building’s exterior was painted by different artists over the years, so the walls changed from brightly colored murals to dinosaurs, portraits, and more.

Countless high schoolers on dates came to see young local bands play their first show and to see established bands from the U.S. Orange County grindcore band Phobia played there in 2005. Caustic Christ, Tristeza, Pulling Teeth, Die Young, and many other similar bands had the opportunity to grace the rooms in La Casa de la Nueve.

It is not yet known what will fill the empty space — most likely another Oxxo (a Mexican convenience-store chain like 7-Eleven) or another money-exchange booth.

A few other coffee shops have gained the clientele that used to frequent La Casa. Artists and students in the downtown area have gravitated toward El Grafrogo, situated next to Mamut in Pasaje Rodríguez. The shop also sells books in the art hallway between 3rd and 4th.

Cinemático, situated between 6th and 7th on Avenída Madero, is a coffee shop/cinema that hosts poetry slams and movie nights featuring indie and classic films.

Café Diógenes, a bookstore, internet café, and cultural center, is situated next to Tijuana's city hall. Musicians frequent the spot, which features acoustic guitars for anyone to play in its many rooms. 


The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Trump disses digital catapults

Biden likes General Atomics drones
Next Article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”

La Casa de la Nueve, situated on 9th street in downtown Tijuana, is no more. On November 6, the coffeehouse and live-music venue was demolished, much to the surprise of its previous tenants.

Married couple Margarita González and Jason Guevara rented the space in 2003 with the intent to promote art and great coffee. Margarita handled the events and promotions, Jason worked the kitchen.

In 2011, González and Guevara split up. Guevara was left with the coffeehouse and González moved on to other opportunities as an event promoter. Facing financial problems that Jason could not solve by himself, La Casa closed its doors in October. 



Sponsored
Sponsored

“There was a lot of pressure from the owners,” says González. “They changed the contract from pesos to dollars, they kept pressuring us to get out. They told my ex-husband that they would take the house somewhere else, never mentioned anything about demolishing. It took us all by surprise to see it torn to bits.

“Supposedly, [the owners] were going to move the house somewhere else. The house came from the U.S.A. and it was a gift to the original owner. I even found a calendar from 1943 inside. That house had a lot of history and it was part of the identity of Tijuana.” 

The building’s exterior was painted by different artists over the years, so the walls changed from brightly colored murals to dinosaurs, portraits, and more.

Countless high schoolers on dates came to see young local bands play their first show and to see established bands from the U.S. Orange County grindcore band Phobia played there in 2005. Caustic Christ, Tristeza, Pulling Teeth, Die Young, and many other similar bands had the opportunity to grace the rooms in La Casa de la Nueve.

It is not yet known what will fill the empty space — most likely another Oxxo (a Mexican convenience-store chain like 7-Eleven) or another money-exchange booth.

A few other coffee shops have gained the clientele that used to frequent La Casa. Artists and students in the downtown area have gravitated toward El Grafrogo, situated next to Mamut in Pasaje Rodríguez. The shop also sells books in the art hallway between 3rd and 4th.

Cinemático, situated between 6th and 7th on Avenída Madero, is a coffee shop/cinema that hosts poetry slams and movie nights featuring indie and classic films.

Café Diógenes, a bookstore, internet café, and cultural center, is situated next to Tijuana's city hall. Musicians frequent the spot, which features acoustic guitars for anyone to play in its many rooms. 


Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Trump disses digital catapults

Biden likes General Atomics drones
Next Article

Ocean Connectors Wildlife Kayaking Eco Tour, Noon Year Celebration

Events December 31-January 1, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader