In this climate of managed care and a difficult economy, the San Diego Psychoanalytic Society and Institute recently bought its own building. We are proud of this achievement and would like to share with you, as you are about to visit our lovely city, how this dream was realized.
Early in the 1970's, there had been an ardent effort by several members to purchase a building for the Institute. That effort did not reach fruition and for more than twenty years, much of our budget was spent on a consistently upward spiraling rent and three different locations. This put constant pressure on a growing annual operations deficit. In the late 1980's, the first official Finance Committee, under the capable chairmanship of Allan Rosenblatt explored various sources to secure our financial stability.
In 1990, Nadine Levinson assumed that position, assisted by a talented and creative committee including Joanne Callan, Ed Fields, Dan Gardner, and Manney Lippett.
By this time, our space was cramped, the rent was prohibitive, and our operational account was shrinking. The idea of owning our own building resurfaced. We held several faculty meetings to consider the advantages, the risks, and, should we proceed, the mechanisms for finding and purchasing a building and for raising the money.
After careful study and exploration in many group forums, SDPSI members agreed to begin the process of looking for a permanent home and to raise the needed money. We all felt that owning our own building would make a positive and proud statement about our professional identity as individuals and as a psychoanalytic society and institute. This professional identity was viewed as essential and meaningful for any future wishes to maintain a high quality training program, and to establish and expand a community-based support in the mental health community and public at large. If we were competing for community support, we felt we should demonstrate our presence to the community in a real and “concrete” sense. The willingness of the Board of Directors, guided by the successful and successive leadership of Paul Keith, and then Haig Koshkarian, to openly explore fundraising and the purchase of a new building with the entire membership was key to our success in going forward to raise money and eventually find a building.
At this point, the newly constituted Finance Committee including Nadine Levinson, as chair, with Paul Keith, Haig Koshkarian, Manney Lippett, and Robert Tyson, with the help of Richard Hicks, Allan Rosenblatt, and Jim Thickstun, began working out the various issues of size, location, cost, fundraising, and other endless details surrounding due diligence.
At the end of 1991, we launched our first fundraising effort. We estimated that we would need to raise about $300,000-350,000. We began by asking our members for a commitment of between $7,000–10,000 to be spread out over the next five years. We wanted this to be voluntary so as to set up an atmosphere of cohesion and unity. We did not want to drive away any valued and important members from our already shrinking group. Candidates were not asked to pledge money at that time, but to consider pledging money after they graduated. Nevertheless, some candidates did contribute at the time, and others contributed after they graduated. Almost everyone rallied together, some more, some less. In our first fundraising effort over the year, we raised over $230,000 in pledges and contributions from our own small group of psychoanalysts and psychotherapists. With the tremendous support we received from most all of our members, we began an intense and systematic effort to find the right building for SDPSI — one that would meet our requirements for size, location and price. As members realized the long-term savings benefit we would gain by as large a down payment as possible, they made good their pledges earlier rather than later. Our long-range plan was to eventually pay off the building so as to significantly cut our operating expenses. From a fundraising point of view, we found it easier to raise money for a particular purpose such as the purchase of a building, rather than for an unspecified endowment.
At the end of 1993, two fortuitous events coincided. SDPSI was named as a beneficiary of the Esther Globe Estate, allowing us to receive in excess of a $230,000 endowment and we found what appeared to be a suitable building for a new home for SDPSI. Esther Globe had been a social worker who for several years conducted intake interviews for the Emanuel Lippett Psychoanalytic Clinic. Even after many years of no contact, she obviously remembered us and chose to honor us with her generous bequest. This money added to what we had already raised from our membership facilitated the purchase of our building.
After three years of canvassing the San Diego area and evaluating many buildings, we found one located in La Jolla that seemed just right! Being situated in the middle of the community reflects a step toward fulfillment of one of our central goals — community involvement. The building is a two-story, 3680 square foot structure and consists of “mixed use” space for retail, office and apartment usage. SDPSI occupies the 2400 square feet downstairs, which consists of a large meeting room, office space for administrative activities, space for 3 classrooms, as well as a large cherry-wood library. Upstairs, there is a charming 1280 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment. We negotiated a loan at a low interest for five years, knowing that we would need another round of fundraising to pay off the building.
We moved into our new home in March, 1994, and completed the remodeling and furnishings by September, 1994. Haig Koshkarian, Nadine Levinson, and Joyce Harding, our administrator at that time, spent hours paying attention to the numerous details as the 'Remodeling Committee.“ In December, 1995, rather than pay additional costs to obtain another loan, the Board and Finance Committee decided to have another round of fundraising with a specific goal to pay off the building by the time our note becomes due in March, 1999. Like before, we wanted the request for funds to be voluntary. We put forth a three-pronged, three year plan to the membership on how we could cut costs, increase income, and with an added contribution, pay off our loan. This would give us an annual budget deficit that we could live with. To date, we have reduced our note from $185,000 to around $85,000, and if everyone makes good their pledges, we should have the building paid off by March, 1999.
We feel very fortunate to have realized our dream to have a home, a concrete structure, to signify that psychoanalysis has a future in San Diego and in a world that does not always understand psychoanalysis nor appreciate our methods and our mission.