YUMA-1888

629 to 633 5th Avenue.
One of downtown’s first brick structures, the building was first owned by Captain Wilcox, who arrived in San Diego in 1849 at the helm of the U.S. Invincible.

The ship brought the engineering crew that attempted to turn the San Diego river into False Bay (now known as Mission Bay). The ground floor of the small but beautiful structure has housed a variety of retail establishments. In 1912 the building earned dubious distinction as the first to be closed during a sweep of the red light district and a round-up of the “ladies of the night.”

The building derives it name from the home town of Captain Wilcox.