Help Save the Gaslamp Museum!
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) who operates the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House. For the past two years, the Foundation has not been able to hold its largest fundraiser, ShamROCK due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting the organization in serious financial strain.
“We rely on ShamROCK for over 70% of our operating budget every year. Losing the event for two years has been a huge hit to our organization,” says GQHF Executive Director, Rhiannon Luna. “We’ve been relying on grants, savings, income from virtual programs and donations, but without a large-scale event or increased community support we can’t survive much longer.”
The GQHF has tried every avenue available for funding, applying at private, local, county, state, and federal levels. Unfortunately, the grants and support received over the last year of closure are not enough to sustain the Foundation and the Gaslamp Museum beyond June.
How does my donation help?
The fundraiser aims to raise $150,0000, with every $15,000 keeping the Museum open another month for house tours and guided walking tours. Securing these funds will provide the Museum:
- Reopen 5 days a week
- Overhead for annual fall community event
- Retention of museum staff
- Continued maintenance on the Davis-Horton House
“This house museum is unique because it’s not a grandiose mansion, it’s a small family home where everyday people like nurses, soldiers, and merchants lived,” explains Rhiannon Luna. “We take pride in telling the stories of those people here at the Museum.”
