A Walk Through San Diego's Past
Downtown San Diego is a living tribute to history and revitalization. The Gaslamp Quarter followed up a long stint of seediness, emerging as a glamorous place to live and play. Little Italy, once a bustling fishing village, also got a face-lift.
Where It All Started
Begin at the corner of 4th and Island. This is the location of the 150-year-old Davis-Horton House, a saltbox structure shipped around Cape Horn and assembled in the Gaslamp Quarter. Among its famous former residents: Alonzo Horton, the city’s founder. Take a tour, keeping a lookout for the house’s current resident: a lady ghost.
From there walk a block east to 5th Avenue and head north. Along the way, you’ll see some of the 16½-block historic district’s best-known Victorian-era commercial beauties, including the Italianate Marston Building (at F Street), the Keating Building, the Spencer-Ogden Building, and the Old City Hall. Architecture buffs should pick up a copy of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, a self-guided tour published by the Historical Society.
At E Street, head back over to 4th Avenue and you’ll behold the Balboa Theatre, a striking Spanish Renaissance–style building that was constructed in 1923 and restored in 2007. Pop across Broadway to check out the stately U.S. Grant Hotel, built in 1910 by the son of President Ulysses S. Grant.
Art Stop
Follow Broadway west to Kettner Boulevard, where the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) makes a bold statement with its steel-and-glass lines. It’s definitely worth a wander, situated in the renovated baggage depot of the 1915 Santa Fe Depot (the station itself is also a stunner).
From Fishermen to Fashionistas
From there, head north on Kettner to A Street, make a quick right, and then take a left on India Street. This is the heart of Little Italy, which, at the turn of the 20th century, was a bustling Italian fishing village. The area fell into disarray in the early 1970s due to a decline in the tuna industry and the construction of I–5, which destroyed 35% of the area. In 1996, a group of forward-thinking architects—commissioned by the city—developed new residential, retail, and public areas that coexist beautifully with the neighborhood’s historic charms. Now, it’s a vibrant urban center with hip eateries, bars, and shops. There are remnants of retro Little Italy, from authentic cafés (check out Pappalecco, a popular gelateria) to boccie ball matches played by old-timers at Amici Park.
