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Annual Meeting
Published Online: 16 February 2017

San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter Has Something for Everyone

Joan Treichel Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatrics News
Volume 52, Number 4
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2017.2b27
Enjoy an evening stroll under the glow of flickering gas lights as you check out one of San Diego’s most vibrant areas.
If you are looking for an engaging neighborhood to explore after a day of listening, lecturing, and networking at APA’s Annual Meeting, you won’t have to travel far.
iStock/tobiasjo
Just two short blocks away from the San Diego Convention Center lies the city’s Gaslamp Quarter—16 square blocks chock full of restaurants, pubs, boutiques, museums, high rises, lofts, and many Victorian-era buildings with a rich history.
It all began in 1850 when a San Franciscan named William Heath Davis started developing land near Market Street in downtown San Diego. He had prefabricated houses delivered to San Diego by ship and settled in one himself.
In 1867, a San Franciscan named Alonzo Horton arrived in San Diego. He built a wharf at the end of Fifth Avenue, near San Diego Bay, as well as a bank and public theater. He also purchased some 800 acres of land on the waterfront and then sold the property as commercial and residential lots. San Diego started to attract settlers from all over the country.
However, San Diego’s prosperity also attracted a less-refined crowd. Saloons with such sinister names as Old Tub of Blood and First and Last Chance sprang up in the area, as did gambling houses and bordellos. Probably the most infamous madam was Ida Bailey. In 1903, she opened a pale yellow house set behind a white picket fence at 530 Fourth Avenue.
By 1913, influenced by citizen protests, prostitution had been outlawed in downtown San Diego. Nonetheless, the area experienced more decades of decay.
In the 1970s, the San Diego City Council began to restore and redevelop downtown San Diego. In a few short years it was transformed into the Gaslamp Quarter—a place that was elegant, fun, and safe.
Today the quarter has more than 90 historic or architecturally notable buildings. Some have been converted into residences. Other buildings house restaurants, art galleries, theaters, bars, and shops. Most of the shops keep late hours so that shopping can be easily combined with other activities.
The focal point of the Gaslamp Quarter is William Heath Davis’s house, located at 410 Island Avenue. There, visitors can tour the house and obtain information about the quarter’s buildings, activities, and walking tours. ■
The Gaslamp Quarter begins two blocks from the San Diego Convention Center. More information about the quarter can be accessed here.

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Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatrics News
Volume 52 • Number 4 • February 4, 2016 – February 17, 2017
Pages: 1

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Published online: 16 February 2017
Published in print: February 4, 2016 – February 17, 2017

Keywords

  1. gas lamp
  2. Gaslamp Quarter
  3. Annual Meeting
  4. San Diego
  5. William Heath Davis
  6. Alonzo Horton
  7. Ida Bailey

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