To go along with the Masonic Temple building, which once sported street-level retail, but no longer does, it seems that One Town Center (at the northwest corner of Ponce and Church) also was originally designed to incorporate street-level retail.
From the Town Center Plan Goals Page…
“The Candler Hotel block was developed as proposed and includes two new office buildings and retains the block of retail properties that house Mick’s, By Hand South and the Masonic Temple building. The office building was designed to have retail use on the ground floor in the future. (1985)”
I wonder what city-wide rents/demand would have to be to motivate these property owners to make the necessary renovations so we could have one continuous thread of retail along Ponce all the way from Clairemont to Church.