Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego Explained

Gaslamp Quarter Historic District
Nrhp Type:	hd
Nocat:	yes
Location:	Bounded by RR tracks, Broadway, 4th, and 6th Aves., San Diego, California
Coordinates:	32.7117°N -117.1592°W
Architect:	Multiple
Architecture:	Late Victorian, Art Deco
Added:	May 23, 1980
Designated Other1:	San Diego
Designated Other1 Number:	127
Designated Other1 Date:	June 2, 1978^[1]
Refnum:	80000841

The Gaslamp Quarter is a historic neighborhood in downtown San Diego, California. It extends from Broadway to Harbor Drive and from 4th to 6th Avenue. The neighborhood is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places as the Gaslamp Quarter Historic District. It includes over 90 historic buildings,^[2] most of which were constructed in the Victorian Era; many are in use as restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and nightclubs.

The Gaslamp Quarter is known for its nightlife. It includes the Spreckels Theatre, Balboa Theatre, and Horton Plaza Park. It is the site of various events and festivals, including Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp, Taste of Gaslamp, and ShamROCK, a St. Patrick's Day event. Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, is one block away in the East Village neighborhood.

History

In the 1860s, the area was known as New Town, in contrast to Old Town, the original Spanish colonial settlement of San Diego.^[3] Intensive development began in 1867, when Alonzo Horton bought the land in hopes of creating a new city center closer to the bay, and chose 5th Avenue as its main street.^[4]

After a period of urban decay, the neighborhood underwent urban renewal in the 1980s and 1990s.^[5]

It was rebranded the "Gaslamp Quarter" during the redevelopment and preservation efforts that occurred during the 1980s, though the streets were generally lit by arc lights, not gaslamps.

Timeline

• 1850: William Heath Davis bought 160acres in what would eventually become the Gaslamp Quarter. Despite heavy investment from Davis, little development happened in this period.^[6]
• 1867: Real estate developer Alonzo Horton arrived in San Diego and purchased 800acres of land in New Town for $265. Major development began in the Gaslamp Quarter.^[7]
• 1880s to 1916: Known as the Stingaree, the area was a working class area, home to San Diego's first Chinatown, "Soapbox Row" and many saloons, gambling halls, and bordellos.
• 1912: Stingaree was the site of a free speech fight between socialists and city politicians which led to riots and the abduction by vigilantes of Emma Goldman's husband.^[8]
• 1916: the entire neighborhood of Stingaree was demolished and renamed by anti-vice campaigners.^[9]
• 1950s-1970s: The decaying Gaslamp Quarter became known as a "Sailor's Entertainment" district, with a high concentration of pornographic theaters, bookshops and massage parlors.^[10]
• 1970: Public interest in preserving buildings downtown started, especially in Gaslamp Quarter.
• 1976: The city adopted the Gaslamp Quarter Urban Design and Development Manual, aimed at preserving buildings in the area, and the redevelopment of Gaslamp Quarter as a national historic district.^[11]
• 1982: Gaslamp Quarter became the major focus of the redevelopments in downtown by the city of San Diego.
• 1992: Gaslamp Quarter Archway is installed and dedicated.^[12]

See also

• List of Gaslamp Quarter historic buildings
• U.S. Grant Hotel

External links

• Gaslamp Quarter Association
• Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation
• Centre City Development Corporation
• Information about Gaslamp Quarter Happenings
• Information about Gaslamp Neighborhood

Notes and References

1. Web site: Historical Landmarks Designated by the San Diego Historical Resources Board. City of San Diego. November 18, 2012. March 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318002909/https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/planning/programs/historical/pdf/landmarklist.pdf. dead.
2. Web site: San Diego - Gaslamp Quarter Historical Markers . 2024-05-30 . www.hmdb.org . en.
3. Web site: 10 Fun Facts About San Diego's Historic Gaslamp Quarter . https://web.archive.org/web/20200920071557/https://www.sandiego.org/articles/downtown/gaslamp-10-fun-facts.aspx . 2020-09-20 . 2021-07-09 . San Diego Tourism Authority . en-US.
4. Web site: Alonzo Horton – Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation . 2024-05-30 . gaslampfoundation.org . en-US.
5. Web site: Gaslamp Quarter Historic District TCLF . 2024-05-30 . The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
6. Web site: William Heath Davis . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160220065643/https://gaslampfoundation.org/william-heath-davis/ . 2016-02-20 . 2024-07-21 . Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation.
7. Web site: San Diego Historical Society . October 10, 2007 . December 24, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151224204925/https://www.sandiegohistory.org/timeline/timeline1.htm#1860 . dead .
8. Web site: Dotinga . Randy . 2011-03-15 . When San Diego Had Its Own Big Labor Clash . https://web.archive.org/web/20141203234816/https://voiceofsandiego.org/2011/03/15/when-san-diego-had-its-own-big-labor-clash/ . 2014-12-03 . 2021-07-09 . . en-US.
9. MacPhail . Elizabeth . Spring 1970 . Shady Ladies in the "Stingaree District": WHEN THE RED LIGHTS WENT OUT IN SAN DIEGO . dead . The Journal of San Diego History . 20 . 2 . https://web.archive.org/web/20051024201814/http://sandiegohistory.org/journal/74spring/stingaree.htm . 2005-10-24 . sandiegohistory.org.
10. Web site: Sanford . Jay Allen . 2008-07-23 . Before It Was the Gaslamp: Downtown's Grindhouse Row (updated 8-22-09) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20090708074032/https://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/jul/23/before-it-was-the-gaslamp-now-with-50-more-content/ . 2009-07-08 . 2021-07-09 . . en.
11. Web site: Lia . Marie Burke . 2009 . Gaslamp Quarter Planned District Design Guidelines 2009 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190809/https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/gaslamp-quarter-design-guidelines.pdf . 2021-07-09 . SanDiego.gov.
12. Web site: Gaslamp Quarter History Downtown San Diego, California . https://web.archive.org/web/20160221191852/http://gaslamp.org/history/ . 2016-02-21 . 2021-07-09 . gaslamp.org . en-US.