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38-703: 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, most of which were constructed in the Victorian era ; many are in use as restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and nightclubs. The Gaslamp Quarter

76-537: A collection of media since 1950. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy featured aerial shots of the downtown area. Demolition Man was filmed along Harbor Drive near the San Diego Convention Center and America Plaza trolley station. Parts of The Samuel Project were filmed in the Gaslamp district . Other films shot in the downtown neighborhood include Everybody Dies by

114-503: A fixture of the neighborhood until their retirement in 1939. In 1964 the multi-story City Hall and Community Concourse were dedicated on a four-block-square property at 202 C Street. Recent mayors and city councils have discussed building a replacement city hall, but no replacement plan has been approved. In the 1960s, Centre City began to fall into a state of disrepair and disrepute. Major businesses and stores moved from downtown to suburban shopping malls. The downtown area became known as

152-556: A hangout for homeless people and sailors on liberty. Tattoo parlors, bars, and strip clubs were predominant forms of business. Trash littered the Gaslamp Quarter , many 19th century Victorian houses were rundown, and there were few buildings of significant size (the tallest building at the time was fourteen stories, the locally famous El Cortez ). Despite this, low- and mid-rise buildings were beginning construction. In 1975, redevelopment plans were created for downtown. In 1985,

190-535: A large number of Chinese began to move to San Diego, establishing a concentration; with up to 200 Chinese making up a minority of the 8,600 who lived in all of San Diego. At its peak, about a thousand Chinese lived in San Diego and were faced with discrimination . The concentration became known as Chinatown, and an effort to demolish the area due to the Panama–California Exposition was attempted but

228-638: A newspaper, the San Diego Herald in December 1850, soliciting advertisements and subscriptions from the towns-people; the first issue was published on May 29, 1851. However, New Town did not do well due to a lack of fresh water, a financial depression in 1851, and opposition from the established settlements in Old Town and La Playa . In 1852, a San Diego grand jury called for the removal of several Kumeyaay villages close to any White settlement and

266-484: A significant concentration of Chinese Americans in the former neighborhood. Located in central San Diego, downtown San Diego is delimited by San Diego Bay to the west and southwest, Bankers Hill , Middletown , and Balboa Park to the north, Sherman Heights and Golden Hill to the east, and Barrio Logan and Logan Heights to the southeast. San Diego International Airport is just northwest. Due to San Diego International Airport 's proximity to downtown, there

304-922: A venue for live performances and concerts. Both the Spreckels and the Balboa theaters are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Other downtown theaters include the Lyceum in Horton Plaza , which hosts the San Diego Repertory Theatre as well as concerts and art shows, and the Sledgehammer Theater. Nightclubs such as the House of Blues and Croce's feature well-known musical groups. The Museum of Contemporary Art, also located in downtown San Diego, has displayed work across

342-856: A year call at the cruise ship terminal. A passenger ferry connects downtown San Diego with Coronado , and San Diego Bay harbor tours depart from Harbor Drive. Downtown events include the Big Bay Balloon Parade, held in conjunction with the Holiday Bowl ; the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade and Festival; the Parade of Lights featuring holiday-decorated boats on the Bay; and the San Diego Street Scene music festival. Every mid to late July, downtown San Diego

380-449: Is a FAA imposed 500-foot height restriction on all buildings within a 2.3-mile radius of the runway. The height regulation exists because when planes approach the airport, any structure taller than 500 feet within the radius could interfere with flight operations and potentially result in a collision. The United States Postal Service operates the downtown San Diego Post Office at 815 E Street. The city's former main public library

418-477: Is a historic urban cultural park that borders the area. San Diego International Airport is located three miles (4.8 km; 2.6 nmi) northwest of downtown. The downtown of San Diego was previously inhabited by the Kumeyaay who referred to the area as Tisirr, and also established a village called Pu-Shuyi near what is now Seaport Village. The city of San Diego was originally focused on Old Town near

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456-537: Is also parking available at the County operation center (located between Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway, just north of Ash), as well as Seaport Village . 32°43′14″N 117°9′16″W  /  32.72056°N 117.15444°W  / 32.72056; -117.15444 La Playa, San Diego La Playa (Spanish, 'the beach') is a bayfront neighborhood in the Point Loma community of San Diego, California . It

494-459: Is bordered by San Diego Bay to the east, Naval Base Point Loma to the south, the Wooded Area neighborhood to the west and Point Loma Village/ Roseville-Fleetridge to the north. It lies across a channel from Shelter Island . The bayside residential area now called La Playa lies somewhat north of the original La Playa, where commercial and military ships anchored during the early days of

532-538: Is called to this day) as the heart of the growing city. In 1885, the transcontinental railroad reached San Diego. The Santa Fe railway station opened downtown in 1887 (that station was replaced in 1915 by the downtown landmark Santa Fe Depot , which is still in use). In 1886 the city's first electric lights and first streetcars were established in New Town. In 1912 the Spreckels Theatre opened downtown,

570-839: Is home of the San Diego Convention Center , the city's primary convention center. It is also home of the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Opera , as well as several performing arts venues, such as Jacobs Music Center , the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park , and the San Diego Civic Theatre . Downtown San Diego is located on San Diego Bay , which houses the USS Midway Museum and the Maritime Museum of San Diego . Balboa Park

608-654: Is known for its nightlife . 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. In the 1860s, the area was known as New Town, in contrast to Old Town , the original Spanish colonial settlement of San Diego. Intensive development began in 1867, when Alonzo Horton bought

646-700: Is located across the street from it at 8th and E streets, but currently is vacant. A new nine-story Central Library opened in 2013 on Park Boulevard at J Street. Other government buildings downtown include City Hall and other city administration buildings, the San Diego Police Headquarters at 14th and Broadway, the State of California office building at 1350 Front Street, and a three-block federal office complex at 8th and Front streets. County and federal courthouses are also located downtown. The downtown area contains numerous sites that are listed on

684-425: Is now California, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo , came ashore in 1542 at La Playa, probably at a small rocky peninsula called Ballast Point . When a permanent European settlement was established a few miles inland in 1769, La Playa served as the town's "harbor", actually an anchorage where cargo was loaded and unloaded via small boats. Goods were then transported to the settlement by land over the historic La Playa Trail ,

722-460: Is served by San Diego Unified School District . Washington Elementary School is located in the downtown area. San Diego High School and San Diego City College are located in the northeastern corner of downtown adjacent to Balboa Park. Middle school students from downtown attend Roosevelt Middle School in the Balboa Park area. The charter high school e3 Civic High School is located inside

760-757: Is served by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System , the San Diego Trolley . There is also a commuter train linking downtown with northern San Diego County, called the Coaster , which also stops at communities along the San Diego County coastline, as well as the Amtrak passenger rail system. Parking is mainly concentrated in various "pay to park" lots, with metered parking spaces alongside most streets. There

798-619: Is that even numbered streets go south, and odd numbered streets go north. East–west streets are laid out alphabetically from A to K, with the exception of D, H and I, which are replaced with Broadway, Market Street and Island Avenue, respectively. Streets north of A Street are named after trees, starting with Ash Street and going up to Laurel Street. Main thoroughfares include Broadway and Market Street (east–west), and Harbor Drive, Pacific Highway and Park Avenue (north–south). Three freeways either pass through or start/end in downtown San Diego. State Route 163 (SR 163) ends in downtown with

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836-546: Is transformed for San Diego Comic-Con , the largest entertainment and comic book convention in the world. San Diego Comic-Con is held inside the San Diego Convention Center , but the convention has expanded to other nearby hotels, parks, and plazas which include the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel , Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina , Hilton San Diego Bayfront , Omni San Diego Hotel and the Gaslamp Quarter as major supporting venues. The downtown area

874-677: The Mexican years (1822–1846), centered on a dozen or so huge "hide houses" where cattle hides were processed and stored until they could be exported for sale. The hide houses were named for the Boston trading ships they served. The first and best known was the Brookline captained by James O. Locke, where the American flag was first raised over California (unofficially) in 1829. The La Playa harbor hosted vessels from almost every maritime nation in

912-687: The National Register of Historic Places . They include: The San Diego Civic Theatre in the Community Concourse is the home of the San Diego Opera as well as traveling shows. The San Diego Symphony is headquartered at Jacobs Music Center , a renovated movie palace on 7th Avenue originally built in 1929 as the Fox Theater. The Spreckels Theater at 1st and Broadway, in continuous operation since 1912, hosts local and traveling performances and productions. The Balboa Theatre , built in 1924, re-opened in 2008 after extensive renovations as

950-464: The Presidio , several miles north of current downtown. The location was not ideal because it was several miles from navigable water. In 1849 Lt. Andrew B. Gray , a surveyor working with the boundary commission to establish the boundaries of the new state of California, suggested that an area closer to San Diego Bay would be a better location for a city because it would be better for trade. He proposed

988-655: The End , Friend of the World , Hacksaw , In God We Tru$ t , My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? and Scavenger Hunt . The Columbia (waterfront) neighborhood of downtown hosts the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum ship , as well as the eight ships and boats of the Maritime Museum of San Diego , headlined by Star of India . The San Diego Convention Center and Petco Park are located downtown, as well as Seaport Village . More than 200 cruise ships

1026-498: The area continued on until World War II. Beginning in the early 1900s, Filipinos began to move to San Diego, and settled in and near Chinatown. In 1995, the Asian Pacific Thematic Historic District was created to preserve the remaining structures that remained from the era when Chinatown, as well as Nihonmachi (Japantown), existed. While a few of the buildings remain, there no longer exist

1064-519: The area underwent more redevelopment with the completion of Horton Plaza , the Gaslamp Quarter revival, and the completion of the San Diego Convention Center . Petco Park , a ballpark used by the San Diego Padres , opened in 2004. In the 1860s, the first Chinese people moved to the downtown area. In the 1870s, the Chinese were the primary fishermen in the area. Beginning in the 1880s,

1102-407: The city. The La Playa neighborhood includes some of the most expensive homes in San Diego. The neighborhood is mostly residential and contains two yacht clubs, San Diego Yacht Club and Southwestern Yacht Club . Some bayfront homes have private piers for small boats. The original area known as La Playa played an important role in the early history of San Diego. The first European to set foot in what

1140-689: The downtown library . Monarch School , a public K-12 school for students who are homeless or affected by homelessness , is also located downtown. A few private or religious schools exist in the area. California Western School of Law is located downtown. Streets are laid out in a grid pattern and many are designated for one-way traffic. North–south roads have both names and numbers. The named roads begin with Harbor Drive and then move east past Pacific Highway, Kettner Boulevard, India, Columbia, State, Union and Front streets. The roads are then numbered and are called avenues, starting at 1st Avenue and continuing to Park Boulevard (12th Avenue). The general pattern

1178-411: The end of Fifth Avenue in 1869. He vigorously sold property and gave away land to promote development of the area, fueling the first of San Diego's many real estate speculation booms. People flocked to the area, known as New Town, because of its better access to shipping. In 1871 government records were moved to a new county courthouse in New Town. By the 1880s New Town had totally eclipsed Old Town (as it

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1216-592: The first modern commercial playhouse west of the Mississippi. A new commercial pier, the Broadway Pier , was built by the city in 1913. In the 1910s, downtown became one of the many San Diego neighborhoods connected by the Class 1 streetcars and an extensive San Diego public transit system that was spurred by the Panama–California Exposition of 1915 and built by John D. Spreckels . These streetcars became

1254-407: The idea to William Heath Davis , who recruited four other investors. The partners under Davis's leadership purchased 160 acres (65 ha) of land in what is now downtown San Diego. They laid out a street plan for New Town and built a wharf and warehouse. Several people built houses there, including the still-standing William Heath Davis House, now a museum. John Judson Ames wrote a prospectus for

1292-452: The land in hopes of creating a new city center closer to the bay, and chose 5th Avenue as its main street. After a period of urban decay , the neighborhood underwent urban renewal in the 1980s and 1990s. 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 . Downtown San Diego The downtown area

1330-566: The oldest European trail on the West Coast . The anchorage at La Playa continued to serve as San Diego’s main port until the establishment of New Town (current downtown ) in the 1870s. In his book Two Years Before the Mast , Richard Henry Dana Jr. describes how sailors in the 1830s camped on the beach at La Playa and hunted for wood and rabbits in the hills of Point Loma. The beach at La Playa became an informal town of up to 800 people during

1368-482: The southbound lane of the freeway becoming 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue becoming the northbound lane at Ash Street. Interstate 5 (I-5) passes above the downtown area and is accessible from selected streets outside of the actual downtown area or at the intersection of 10th/11th and Ash (where 163 starts and ends). Additionally, SR 94 enters downtown from the east, with westbound SR 94 becoming F Street and G street becoming eastbound SR 94. The downtown area

1406-468: The village of Tisirr was razed to the ground. In 1867, Alonzo Horton purchased 800 acres (320 ha) of pueblo lands in the current downtown area, and in 1869 he added Davis's 160 acres (65 ha) to his holdings; the area was referred to as the Horton Addition. Davis's wharf had fallen to pieces by then, but Horton realized the area was still ideal for a harbor. He built a new wharf at

1444-502: The world during this period. The Old La Playa site was registered as California Historical Landmark #61 in 1932, and designated as a historical landmark by the San Diego Historical Resources Board in 1970. The original La Playa landing place and Ballast Point are now on the grounds of Naval Base Point Loma. Nothing visible remains of the original sites, which are accessible to the public during

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