Category Archives: Landmarks

Business Was Booming!

Like most properties sold by Alonzo Horton in the late 1860s, the lot on the southwest corner of 5th and F changed hands early and often. the brick building now known as the Spencer-Ogden Building, one of the oldest buildings in the Gaslamp Quarter. It is also the oldest structure to be continually owned by the same family.

From Jessop’s, to Dime Store, to Hardware Emporium

San Diego Hardware Building 1910 840-50 5th Avenue Architectural Style – Modern T.W. Coates, Builder The property located on 840-50 5th has had many owners and many uses, but none, with one exception, has stayed very long. Originally, it was sold by Alonzo Horton to Captain Samuel Dunnells in 1868. Captain Dunnells was an early […]

A Sight for Sore Eyes: The Louis Bank Of Commerce

Louis Bank of commerce GQHF

1888 835-837 5th Avenue Architectural Style : Baroque Revival Architects: Clemment and Stannard   In 1831, newspaperman Horace Greeley popularized the saying by John Soule, “Go West, young man.” Many enterprising immigrants took these words literally, and made their way to the burgeoning city of San Diego, California. One of the most resourceful of these […]

Davis-Horton House -168 Years and Still Standing!

The Davis-Horton House  1850 410 Island Avenue  Architecture: Two-Story Wooden New England Saltbox  Mortice and Tenon Construction Through rain and sleet and storms, and even through floods – yes, two of them – the Davis-Horton House, the oldest standing structure in downtown San Diego, has managed to survive.   The little yellow house on the […]

The Granger Building

1904 964 5th Avenue                                                      Architectural Style: Romanesque Architect: William Quayle                                          Once again it is summertime in America’s finest city, and many San Diegans clamor to spend time outdoors enjoying the many attractions this fair city […]

The Callan Hotel

 San Diego’s First “Zoo” 1878 Three Story Brick Structure 502 Fifth Avenue Architects: Stannard & Layman (1913):  Additional Two Stories As the days get warmer and summer approaches many San Diegans begin to seek outdoor entertainment. There are the beaches, Old Town, water parks, and of course, the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The first “zookeeper” […]