Gaslamp Landmarks

Learn all about the Gaslamp Quarter's most notable hotel, the Horton Grand Hotel.

Learn the history of downtown San Diego's oldest building.

In Honor of the Year of the Fire Horse.

by Sandee Wilhoit • Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation  Dec. 27, 2025 The Minear Building/Paris Hotel (1910)    759 Fourth Avenue SE Corner of Fourth Ave. & F St. Architect & Builder: Edward L. Rambo Architectural Style: 20th Century Commercial Throughout the years, what started out as a reasonably plain, but serviceable, building has blossomed into quite a variety of businesses. Although William L. Minear purchased his lots (both A & B of Block 69)  from Alonzo Horton in

by Sandee Wilhoit • Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation Dec. 12, 2025 The F. C. Sheldon House (1886)    1233 Island Avenue Architects: Comstock and Trotsche Architectural Style: Queen Anne San Diego in the 1880s, was a city booming with growth, a burgeoning population and infinite possibilities. It was even being touted as a rival of San Francisco, not only because of its natural harbor and trading opportunities, but also because of the new transcontinental railroad, which

The Lawyer's Block Building (1889) Architect: McDougall and Sons Architectural Style: Italian Renaissance The Lawyer's Block Building As Seen From The Balboa Theatre Many buildings gain recognition not only for their aesthetic appeal but also for their illustrious tenants. None more so than the elegant Lawyer’s Block, also known as “Attorney’s Headquarters.” The lot was originally sold by Alonzo Horton to George Phillips Marston of Wisconsin. Mr. Marston, an asthmatic, claim