Description
Alonzo E. Horton was a founder and builder of New Town, San Diego beginning in the late 1860s. He purchased 960 acres of
land on the San Diego Bay, later known as "Horton's Addition." At first, there was much opposition from the residents of
"Old Town"; but, new businesses began to flood into the new tract on the harbor, because that is where the ships arrived from
the East"New Town" soon became the center of town. Horton was even more successful when local land prices soared in the 1880s.
He was the most instrumental man in the development of commerce in San Diego and in the further expansion of the growing city.
Horton House hotel and Horton Plaza were major landmarks in town.
The A.E. Horton Document Archives include five documents from the City's public records, including his lease of one of his
buildings to the City for use as City Hall and an indenture for the sale of land to the City for use as a public park.