His large inventory, no doubt, needed a more spacious venue, so what is now known as the Loring building, was constructed in 1873. This makes it one of the oldest buildings in the Gaslamp.
Author Archives: Gaslamp Foundation
Nineteenth century Victorians had some very strange, to our eyes, norms. They included unusual occupations, such as leech collectors, and peculiar and, in many cases poisonous, beauty rituals, including cosmetics containing arsenic, for one. Their style of architecture with its myriad hidden creaky staircases, turrets, secret rooms, underground tunnels and dark corners certainly mirrored our […]
The owner of the structure was Louis Fritz, a German immigrant who was, additionally, one of the founders of the Golden Lion Cafe, a very popular restaurant and saloon on 4th Avenue.
Although the Dunham Building, a very utilitarian edifice , has a somewhat uninspiring facade, it is associated with many of San Diego’s early “movers and shakers” in business and real estate.
One of the very few lots in the Gaslamp not originally owned by Alonzo Horton is the site of the Pioneer Warehouse building.
In the late 1880s, the glittering St. James Hotel was the city’s first skyscraper; it was an amazing five stories high! It was called the “glittering St. James” because the upper three stories were adorned with round tin plates ,which shone brilliantly when hit by the sun. The building, built by Dr. Peter Remondino, literally […]
“No rest for the weary” might well describe the Hubbell building, as since even before its completion in 1886, it has housed a great number and a great variety of businesses.
The Oldest Building in the Gaslamp Quarter Closing to the Public The Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House Needs $150,000 to Stay Open April 29, 2021, San Diego, CA—Built in 1850, The Davis-Horton House is the oldest standing structure in Downtown San Diego and serves as the home of the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation (GQHF) […]
Like many of the buildings along Fifth Avenue, the Pierce-Field building was built during the business boom of the 1880s.
Like most sites in the Gaslamp , the Schmitt/Sensenbrenner Building lot had its origin in a sale from Alonzo Horton to John B. Boyd in 1872. And – like most historic sites and buildings, it had a plethora of venues housed therein, before establishing its ultimate name and identity.