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Guide to the USD Gaslamp Research Project Records
MS 225
MS 225
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Table of contents
Title: USD Gaslmap Research Project Records
Identifier/Call Number: MS 225
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
2.75 Linear feet
(6 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1977-1979
Abstract: The collection contains the USD Gaslamp Research Project records of consolidated historical data for buildings in the Gaslamp
Quarter in San Diego.
creator:
USD Gaslamp Research Project.
This collection is open for research.
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
USD Gaslamp Research Project Records, MS 225, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Collection processed by Sandra Kirkwood on January 2, 2013.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Collection is arranged into two series:
Series I: USD Gaslamp Research Project
Series II: Research Copies
Items within each series are arranged by block number.
The collection contains the USD Gaslamp Research Project records of consolidated historical data for buildings in the Gaslamp
Quarter in San Diego. There are two introductory sections entitled “Archival Research” and “Streetcar Research;” the former
contains a guide to the collection as well as consolidated information on photographs, maps, newspapers, and architects, and
the latter is comprisesd of the history, biographies, maps, and companies that made up the complex system of public transportation
in San Diego's early history.
Research reports are divided by individual blocks and the lots contained within each block. Each lot section report contains
a historical narrative, coalescing information from deeds, newspapers, and history books. Interspersed within the narrative
are Sanborn Fire maps from various years and occasionally copies of photographs and newspaper advertisements. This is followed
by a tenant listing identifying the street address, year, business listing, and business type. For some tenant listings, they
seem to list all the tenants on the block rather than tenants in the particular building. After the list of tenants, there
is a chronology of the land title, some including leases, mortgages, or notices of completion. The last document in each section
is the historic resources inventory with an architectural supplement, which summarizes the building’s common name, location,
accessibility, historical connection, and structure description. Additional copies of some of the block research reports are
also included, some with highlighted sections and/or missing components.
Biographical / Historical Notes
The University of San Diego (USD) Gaslamp Research Project was completed under several grants from Regional Employment and
Training Consortium (RETC) of San Diego. The research was completed from July 1978 through September 1979. The goal of this
grant was to inventory and consolidate historical information so as to assist in the planning and reconstruction of the Gaslamp
Quarter by city officials and organizations.
The vast majority of historical narratives originate with Alonzo Erastus Horton. From 1867-1869, Horton, the “Father of San
Diego,” purchased nearly 1000 acres of land of New Town, which includes blocks in the Gaslamp Quarter. He immediately began
selling his land and stimulating development, both retail and residential. An intense interest was generated around Horton’s
land, shifting the town center and creating the dichotomy of Old Town and New Town. A parcel of land could pass through 5
or 6 owners within one week. The concentrated development of New Town went through several cycles until a collapse in the
early 1900s.
Many types of building and businesses operated in New Town - banks, hotels, physicians, pharmacies, and clothing stores. The
southern part of New Town saw many warehouses, lumber yards, and various depots, (e.g. blocks 121, 122, and 139), and many
produce stores gathered near block 113. Block 95 highlights a disturbing time in American history when those of Japanese descent
lost their homes, business, and possessions when forced into internment camps during World War II. Few managed to regain their
property and belongings after the war. Blocks 94 & 115 feature Ah Quin and his family. Other prominent businesses include
the Whitney Company, which covered several blocks, and the family-owned San Diego Hardware Company.
With business development, the corresponding shift of the town center, and technological advancements, public transportation
became an attractive opportunity to investors. As a result, nearly 20 railway companies operated in a complicated maze that
stretched all over San Diego County, even to Coronado and La Jolla. Transportation shifted from horse-drawn streetcars to
electric railways. With so many stakeholders, the fight for dominance was fierce. Notable figures in this bout were E.S. Babcock,
Milton Santee, Hampton L. Story, and the Spreckels brothers.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number 2008.3.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Babcock, Elisha S.
Capron, John G.
Choate, Daniel
Coast Citrus Distributers.
F. W. Woolworth Company.
First National Bank of San Diego.
Foreman & Clark.
Hamilton Brothers Grocery Store.
Horton, Alonzo E., 1813-1909
J.D. and A.B. Spreckels Securities Company.
J.D. Spreckels & Bros..
Klauber and Levi Company.
Lion Clothing Company.
Llewelyn, William
Marston, George P.
Monarch Drug Company.
Morse, Ephraim W.
Quin, Ah
Reed, David C.
San Diego Hardware Company.
San Diego Public Library.
Santee, Milton
Spreckels, Adolph B.
Spreckels, John Diedrich, b. 1853
Story, Hampton L.
USD Gaslamp Research Project.
Volunteers of America.
Western Union Telegraph Company.
Whitney & Co..
Whitney, W. W.
Gaslamp Quarter (San Diego, Calif.)
San Diego (Calif.)
San Diego (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.