National City and Otay Railroad Depot 1896 5th, 6th & L Streets Architect: William Sterling Hebbard Architectural Style: Mission Revival On December 26, 1886, the San Diego Land and Town Company, a subsidiary of the Santa Fe Railroad, formed the National City and Otay Rail-way. This company was incorporated to design and market the railroad’s […]
The Brown Building (1886) SE Corner of 5th and Market St Architect: Unknown Architectural Style: Victorian/Modern After the original sale of Lots A & B of Block 83 by Alonzo Horton to Charles Louis of San Jose, the properties changed hands many times be-fore becoming what is now known as the Brown Block. Ultimately, it […]
The Chinese, the earliest permanent Asian culture to occupy New Town San Diego, brought with them the ancient celebration of the Chinese lunar New Year and the Chinese inspired architecture expressed throughout the Gaslamp.
When strolling in the Gaslamp, many are awestruck by the architecture and beauty of some of the buildings, while other buildings barely warrant a nod. In fact, many might wonder why they are even designated as historic. Never judge a book by its cover – some of these plain nondescript structures have very interesting stories to tell. One such building is the plain, one-story building just off 5th and Market called the Montijo.
The Lowenstein Building 1887 544 5th Avenue Architectural Style: Early Commercial Architect: Unknown Although Alonzo Horton initially sold the lot on which the Lowenstein building is located to Archibald H. Julian, it didn’t take long for Mr. Julian to transfer title to Willard Lowenstein, Tobias Czerinsky and J. Richfalsy. Lowenstein was a member of a […]
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.
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 […]