Outside The Lens Signs Lease for New Downtown San Diego Headquarters
September 14, 2026
Nonprofit youth media arts organization to relocate to 925 B Street, following sale of the historic Wonder Bread Building
SAN DIEGO, CA – Outside The Lens (OTL), a San Diego-based youth media arts nonprofit, has signed a seven-year lease for a new headquarters at 925 B Street, Suite 500, in Downtown San Diego – a new chapter that lands right as the organization marks its 25th anniversary. The move follows the sale of the historic Wonder Bread Building in East Village, which OTL called home for three and a half years.
OTL will occupy the entire fifth floor of 925 B Street, which comprises approximately 11,987 square feet, a 12% increase over its current 10,689-square-foot footprint. Just as significant as the added space is its shape: the new floor is one contiguous space, replacing the split, two-building layout OTL has worked around at its current location.
“It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to our ‘Wonder Lab’ but change is always an opportunity for reinvention and new opportunities,” said Sarah Beckman, Executive Director of Outside The Lens. “We’re celebrating 25 years of youth storytelling, and this move offers a space that matches the scale and energy of what our students and staff are creating. One floor with room to gather and grow with our community— this is what the next chapter looks like.”
To meet growing demand, the organization is investing more than $250,000 in tenant improvements to transform its open loft into a multi-use, creative studio space. The enhancement includes a secondary media lab, conference room, and open kitchen built to optimize the existing footprint for 25 full-time staff, young creators, and collaborative partners. The overall design is oriented around flexible, shared use, which will develop and refine over time. To help bring this vision to life, OTL is collaborating with Jennifer Luce, Principal at LUCE et Studio, on some special, crafted spaces.
“Place is part of our mission, not incidental to it,” Beckman said. “Young people from across San Diego County come to Outside The Lens for community, creativity, and safety—many of whom are navigating real barriers to opportunity. We always want students to feel welcomed, inspired, and seen. Our new home at 925 B Street supports that intention.”
Situated two blocks from San Diego City College and steps from C Street transit,925 B Street bridges the established campus with downtown’s emerging Civic Center Revitalization—placing OTL at the intersection of student life, the civic core, and cultural vitality.
OTL programming will continue with minimal interruption. The target move-out from Wonder Bread is planned for the end of September, with OTL taking full occupancy on October 1, 2026.
Key Facts: Numbers at a Glance
| Metric | Current (Wonder Bread) | New (925 B Street) |
|---|---|---|
| Square footage | 10,689 SF | 11,987 SF (+12%) |
| Layout | Split, noncontiguous | Single contiguous floor |
| Moved in / lease term | Jan 2023 move-in; renewed 2025 (+5 yrs) | 7 years |
| Move-out target | September 30, 2026 | — |
| Occupancy begins | — | October 1, 2026 |
| Average rent per square foot (%) | — | Increasing by 40% |
| Landlord tenant improvements (TI) contribution | — | $0 |
| OTL’s TI investment | — | $250,000+ |
| Program downtime | — | ~1 week |
| Properties evaluated | — | 100+ (14 toured) over 11 months |
About Outside the Lens
Outside The Lens (OTL) is a San Diego-based nonprofit that inspires young people to become storytellers and changemakers through media arts. The organization serves K-12 and transitional age (18-24) students, equipping them to learn technical skills in digital photography, graphic design, filmmaking, and emerging media as well as develop creative confidence and expertise in critical thinking, and visual literacy. Through its pioneering Media Makers program, OTL provides young people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) — including those who are autistic or neurodiverse — with technical, social, and economic opportunities that build creative agency, self-determination, and genuine belonging. For 25 years, OTL has brought arts-integrated programming to over 30,000 students through in-school classes, after-school programs, summer camps, workshops, and teacher training. Learn more at outsidethelens.org.
Contacto para la prensa
Nickie Peña
nickie@nickiepena.com | 760-707-8169