Gaslamp District

This area of town was first developed by William Heath Davis in the 1850s as “New Town” but his plan didn’t work out and it wasn’t until 20 years later that Alonzo Horton (who now has an upscale urban mall named after him—Horton Plaza) successfully transformed it into the city that is now San Diego. Most of the Victorian buildings are the result of Horton’s efforts to promote his city. Over time, this area became a haven for prostitution and crime; in the 1970s the area was slated to be bulldozed in the name of urban redevelopment, but was saved by a community group that made it into an historic district. Now known as the Gaslamp District, it has lots of restaurants, clubs, galleries, shops, etc. The buildings are quite remarkable and it’s possible to tell which ones were flophouses, hotels, and apartment buildings. There are several buildings being converted to luxury condos, and there seems to be a pretty good art scene going on. Pretty trendy and hip, but I couldn’t get enough of the fantastic architecture.