The Elite Address

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, claimed he would

not spend another harsh winter in Wisconsin! On October 4, 1870, he

arrived in San Diego by steamer with his entire family - wife and three

children. One of those children, George White Marston, grew up to be

one of early San Diego’s most prominent businessmen, civic leaders

and founder of the Marston Department stores.

After George F. Marston’s death in 1877, the property was leased and

subleased several times. Pacific Livery Stables occupied the space

until 1886, and in 1887, 6 months before her death, Harriet Marston

sold the property to A.G. Gassen and Aaron and Charles Pauley. On

September 27, 1888, the San Diego Union prematurely broke the

story that the new owners planned to build a structure on the corner of

4th and E , which would cost $700,000! J.C. Sloan was hired as

contractor and the firm of McDougall and Sons, from San Francisco,

was appointed as architects.

The contractors said that the building would be completed by July

1,1889, and would-be tenants immediately signed up. Twenty spaces

on the second floor were rented by lawyers, which gave rise to the

notion that Gassen and Pauley intended to make their building the

unofficial headquarters for San Diego’s prominent lawyers. They

included Colonel Chalmers Scott, former State Attorney General,

Harry C. Titus, City Attorney, William J. Hunsaker, son of a former

sheriff and mayor, and prominent attorneys A.E. Cochran , Eugene

Britt, Cassius Carter and Judge J.M. Robinson. Seven to ten firms

were represented before the builders even broke ground! Hunsaker

and Britt also leased several rooms to house an extensive law library.

Other tenants included the Farmer’s and Mechanic’s Union, a

drugstore, a pharmacist, and six architects. The well known architects

were represented by D.P. Benson (New County Courthouse), A. Reif (

new Catholic Church & the Marshall Law block) and John B. Stannard

(Louis Bank of Commerce, Grand Pacific, Nash Block & the Cole

Block.)

Additionally, other tenants included a stock broker, three insurance

agents, The Golden Era Magazine, the Great Southwest Magazine,

and the business office for the San Diego Union. The Union housed its

presses in the basement and the linotype machines on the second

floor. Also - a liquor store, two barber shops and a paint store made

the Lawyer’s Block their home.

The Italian Renaissance rectangular building, which was completed on

schedule, was a two story, plus basement, structure built with bricks

made at the Rose Canyon brickyard. The composition was stucco

over brick with a flat roof. A horizontal band frieze runs along the edge

of the roof line. The facades on both sides were symmetrical with

evenly spaced doors and windows on each floor. The first floor had

regularly spaced openings for shop entrances with recessed

doorways. Large rectangular windows provided light and were

accented by multi-paned, narrow windows above the main window.

The windows on the second floor were single, double-hung sash style,

and shaped in the form of Roman arches. These were alternated with

narrow windows with less curved arches. Pilasters along the facade

were painted in darker tones to contrast with the lighter colored

stucco.

After Aaron Pauley’s death, the property changed hands on May 6,

1900. It was purchased for $115,000 by John H. Gay, who was listed

in the City Directory as a capitalist. Mr. Gay, son of a Louisiana state

senator, came to San Diego for his health, and upon his arrival,

immediately started buying property. Some of his properties included

the Dare Mansion, the Lakeside Inn and Racetrack and a ranch at

Linda Vista Mesa. His elaborate home on Fifth and Juniper was

known as “Bluebeard’s Castle.”

Throughout the years, several abstract and title companies moved in,

as well as many stenographers and Notary Publics. Almost all of the

stenographers and notaries were women, an indicator that more

diverse professional opportunities were becoming available to

females.

When John Gay died, his widow, Jeanette T. Gay , inherited the

property. His estate was valued at $650,000 in real estate and

$285,000 in personal assets. The Gay family - 18 to 20 persons -

contested the will on the grounds of his mental state. For 8 years prior

to his passing, he had been an alcoholic, paralyzed, and exhibiting an

impaired mental capacity. Seven years earlier, he had hired Jeanette

as a housekeeper and then married her. The family claimed she had

coerced, dominated and controlled him completely. They were

awarded large amounts of the estate, but Jeanette kept the Lawyer’s

Block property, which she sold to L. M. Carey, H. G. Jones, George F.

Boehing and L. M. Steinmetz in 1920.

The last upstairs tenants vacated the offices in 1972, and the income

for the property was then derived from the lower floor leases.

Currently, the property is available for lease.