Tallest in San Diego County: Encina Power Plant chimney, Hyatt Regency, Symphony Towers, One American Plaza

Dear M. A.: I believe I read in your column that the chimney for the Encina power plant was the tallest man-made structure in San Diego County. I am fully aware of your abhorration to answering questions that have appeared in your column before; however, I do not know where else I can get the information. My question is, what is the tallest man-made structure in San Diego County? — Kip stir

Do mind iteration, but don’t mind setting straight you folks with creative memories. Me, I have no memory of making such claims for Carlsbad’s Encina (398 feet). The tallest tall thing we’ve made so far is the downtown Hyatt Regency, 492 feet. It’s on land 8 feet above sea level, so it actually tops out at 500. So do downtown’s Symphony Towers and One American Plaza, but they start out on higher ground. Looking at the question from that perspective, the county’s highest-up structure is the concrete pad from a long-gone radio tower at the peak of Hot Springs Mountain, near Warner Springs. The pad can be measured in inches; the hill is 6533 feet, our highest geographical point. But trudge to the top, stand on the pad, and you’ll be the highest man-and-woman-made thing countywide.