Ryan Thorsen knows what he’s doing with an iconic remodel: he took the helm from Bertrand Hug at the legendary Mister A’s in 2022 and breathed new life into the historic restaurant. So, taking on another San Diego landmark is a fitting next move for Mister Ambitious. And this time it’s a lot bigger—a lot bigger—and older.
Thorsen’s latest aspiration is to transform seven overgrown and (mostly) vacant acres and five time-warped 1920s Liberty Station buildings at along Rosecrans Street and Dewey Road—once the site of NTC’s coveted officers’ quarters—into The Admiral: a grand grouping of distinct venues set amid sprawling gardens with sweeping views of the San Diego skyline and the tip of Point Loma.
OBR Architecture, known for historic renovations (including several at Liberty Station), is on board for the $15 million facelift—the first redo of this section of the base since it was decommissioned in 1997.
The Admiral will comprise a restaurant, canteen, game room, an event venue, and a cocktail bar, each with its own take on a 1920s-1940s theme. It’ll be the feather in Liberty Station’s cap, perched on high ground as a jaunty and distinguished addition to one of San Diego’s favorite destinations.
“It feels right,” Thorsen said. “It’s a perfect complement to all the great things that are already here.”
Thorsen envisions The Admiral as a stylish, full-service social hub with vintage charm where guests can dine, game, picnic, pick up a bottle and a baguette, host an event, or just drop by the former guard house for a cocktail after a show (the new Jacobs performing arts center is a block away). It’ll be almost like a club, but without the membership. A fleet of golf carts to transport you around the grounds, uncorking and sipping wine on the lawn, a game of billiards, a stroll arm-in-arm with your bestie on a bonny walking path, a relaxed night of live music with the lights of downtown twinkling over yonder. We’re all invited.
The Admiral’s main building will be The Venue: a two-story, 1923 Spanish Revival home hosting weddings and events, with banquets spilling out onto the grounds where diplomats and dignitaries once gathered for garden parties overlooking downtown and the water. A bed-and-breakfast on the second floor and bridal party suites flanking the banquet hall round out the experience for special guests. The canteen will have its own bakery and sell upscale provisions à la retro rustic grocer; the game room won’t have any screens (shuffleboard, anyone?); the restaurant will take advantage of the view and the weather with abundant outdoor seating and kitchen windows where guests can watch oyster shucking.
And of course Thorsen has already thought about the menu. “We want to keep it flexible for banquets and events, with inspired American fare, and a nod to our Point Loma fishing community.” Local seafood will undoubtedly have a featured place on the bill, along with a selection of herbs and produce from on-site edible gardens.
Thorsen plans to decorate with original artifacts and elements from throughout the former naval base, where his grandfather was stationed. “It’s important to shine a light on and honor those who were here,” Thorsen said.
The goal is to open sometime in 2026. Get your fedora ready.
