Horton Plaza Park

Last updated

Horton Plaza Park
Horton Plaza and Fountain.jpg
Plaza and fountain from above
Location map Central San Diego.png
Red pog.svg
Location in central San Diego
Type Urban park
Location San Diego, California, U.S.
Coordinates 32°42′55″N117°09′41″W / 32.7152°N 117.1615°W / 32.7152; -117.1615
Area1.2 acres (0.0049 km2)
Created1910
Owned by City of San Diego
Operated by Westfield

Horton Plaza Park is an outdoor plaza in downtown San Diego, California. It includes an amphitheater, retail stores, and a fountain. [1] It is located on the corner of 4th Avenue and Broadway.

Contents

The city-owned plaza opened in 1910. It was designed by landscape architect Walker Macy and built by Civic San Diego. [2] The plaza was designated a historical landmark by the City of San Diego on March 19, 1971. [3]

Geography

The plaza is bordered to the north by Broadway Ave and the U.S. Grant Hotel, former site of the Horton House Hotel. Flanking the east and west are 4th and 3rd Avenues, respectively. Immediately to the south is the site of the former Horton Plaza shopping mall.

History

1890 – 1960

Fountain in 1915 HortonPlaza&BroadwayFountain1915.jpg
Fountain in 1915
The fountain's cupola with a portion of the engraved frieze visible. Broadway Fountain cupola detail.jpg
The fountain's cupola with a portion of the engraved frieze visible.

The area of the park was sold to the city of San Diego in 1895 by its namesake, Alonzo Horton. [4] Originally, the plaza was intended for use by his guests staying at the Horton House Hotel. [5] In 1909, the plaza was chosen as the site of a "weather kiosk" provided by the U.S. Weather Bureau. Park commissioners laid out the plaza in harmony with the lines of the kiosk, according to one source, reserving the center for a fountain. [6] Louis J. Wilde, banker and part-owner of the U. S. Grant Hotel, donated funds to help build a fountain located in the center of the Park. Irving J. Gill designed the Broadway Fountain, which was completed in 1910. [1]

In 1923, a commemorative highway milestone honoring Confederate general Robert. E. Lee was erected with "much fanfare" and the support of many civic leaders following the completion of the transcontinental Lee Highway. The parks commission originally opposed the milestone but were overruled by Mayor John L. Bacon. President Calvin Coolidge was reported to have pushed a button in his Oval Office all the way in Washington, D.C. that rang a gong in Horton Plaza. "Colonel" Ed Fletcher presided over the ceremonies. [7]

In 1926, a plaque commemorating the western terminus of the Jefferson Davis Highway was installed in Horton Plaza. Local attorney W. Jefferson, a distant relative, underwrote the granite block holding the plaque. [8] It has since been moved to the western sidewalk of the plaza following the 2016 renovation. [9] [10] [11] A Union veterans group opposed the tribute to the President of the Confederate States of America and it was removed later that year, but it was put back in 1985 as part of the rehabilitation of the park coinciding with the building of the Horton Plaza Mall. [7]

1960 – 1970s

Throughout the years, the Horton Plaza Park was the backdrop for many notable events. On November 2, 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy spoke at Horton Plaza to make a last-minute appeal for votes just six days before the 1960 Presidential Election. [12] On March 19, 1971, the City of San Diego designated the plaza as a historical landmark. [13]

2010 - present

The park in 2016 San Diego, 2016 - 062.jpg
The park in 2016

In 2011, the San Diego City Council unanimously voted to approve a unique public-private partnership between Westfield and the City of San Diego. This plan involved Westfield demolishing the former Robinsons-May and Planet Hollywood building at Westfield Horton Plaza Shopping Center and transferring the land to the city. [14] The operators of the adjacent Westfield Horton Plaza shopping center partnered with the city in the renovation.

The overall project aims to restore the historic Horton Plaza Park and fountain, re-establishing it as the regional treasure that it was in the early-to-mid 1900s. [15] The aim was for the plaza to host scheduled events such as concerts, movie screenings, and celebrations. The park opened in May 2016. [16]

On August 16, 2017, following the Charlottesville terror attack in Virginia, the San Diego City Council removed the Jefferson Davis plaque. [11] On June 12, 2020, following the Black Lives Matter outcry after the murder of George Floyd, the Robert E. Lee monument was quietly removed. [7]

Fountain

The fountain in the middle of the plaza was designed by Irving Gill, which he modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. Louis J. Wilde, banker and part-owner of the U. S. Grant Hotel, donated $10,000 to help build the fountain, [5] which was completed in 1910. [3] Initially titled the L. J. Wilde Electric Fountain, [17] it quickly came to be known as simply the Electric Fountain [18] [19] [20] before falling into obscurity. After restoration, the fountain is most often referred to as the Broadway Fountain after the engraving on its frieze, which reads "Broadway Fountain for the People." [21]

Cold weather in January 1913 caused the water in the fountain to freeze, an event rare in the region. San Diegans visited the fountain and stood on the thick ice. [22]

The restored Gill fountain is the centerpiece of the plaza, which also has an amphitheater, an interactive pop-jet fountain, and light sculptures. [23]

Amenities

Spanning over 53,000 square feet (4,900 m2), Horton Plaza Park is composed of three sections: South Plaza, Amphitheater, and Historic Park. Included in the plaza are granite finishes, an interactive pop-jet fountain and 8 Luminaries (23-foot-tall [7.0 m] color-changing light sculptures). [24] There are three food and beverage Pavilions located at Horton Plaza Park including Starbucks and Sloan's Ice Cream. Each Pavilion has adjacent patio seating covered by a trellised overhang. [25]

A booth selling tickets to local attractions is operated by the San Diego Performing Arts League. Park events include ongoing entertainment and game series. [26]

See also

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Town San Diego State Historic Park</span> United States historic place

    Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is a state protected historical park in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California. The park commemorates the early days of San Diego; it includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. The park was established in 1968. In 2005 and 2006, California State Parks listed Old Town San Diego as the most visited state park in California.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson Davis Highway</span> Historic long-distance highway in the United States

    The Jefferson Davis Highway, also known as the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway, was a transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Arlington County, Virginia, and extended south and west to San Diego, California; it was named for Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, United States senator, and Secretary of War. Because of unintended conflict between the National Auto Trail movement and the federal government, it is unclear whether it ever really existed in the complete form that its United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) founders originally intended.

    Jonathan Adams Jerde, was an American architect based in Venice, Los Angeles, California, founder and chairman of The Jerde Partnership, a design architecture and urban planning firm specializing in the design of shopping malls that has created a number of commercial developments around the globe. Jerde became well known as an innovator in the design of malls and related spaces. His firm has grown into a multi-disciplinary firm with offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, California, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessop's Clock</span> Outdoor clock in San Diego, California, U.S.

    Jessop's Clock is a large outdoor pendulum clock located in San Diego, California, United States. It was commissioned in 1905 by one of the city's noted jewelers, Joseph Jessop.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">George Marston (California politician)</span> American politician, businessperson, and philanthropist

    George White Marston was an American politician, department store owner, and philanthropist. Marston was involved with establishing Balboa Park, the San Diego Public Library System, and San Diego Presidio Park. His contributions to San Diego earned him the affectionate title of "San Diego's First Citizen."

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Fletcher</span> American politician

    "Colonel" Ed Fletcher was a real estate developer and U.S. Republican and Democratic politician from San Diego, California.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabrillo Bridge</span> Bridge in San Diego, California

    The Cabrillo Bridge is a historic bridge in San Diego, California, providing pedestrian and light automotive access between Balboa Park and the Uptown area of San Diego. It was built for the 1915 Panama–California Exposition. The bridge was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was named a Local Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1986.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">One America Plaza</span> Office skyscraper in San Diego, California, United States

    One America Plaza is the tallest building in San Diego, California, and a prominent fixture in the waterfront district of the downtown San Diego skyline. The 34-story, 500 ft (150 m), 623,000 sq ft (57,900 m2), obelisk-shaped tower was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects and KMA Architecture. The top of the building bears a striking resemblance to the end of a Phillips head screwdriver and has a similar appearance to Two Liberty Place in Philadelphia, also designed by Jahn, which is a year older.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Spanish Trail (auto trail)</span> Auto trail across the United States

    The Old Spanish Trail was an auto trail that once spanned the United States with almost 2,750 miles (4,430 km) of roadway from ocean to ocean. It crossed eight states and 67 counties along the southern border of the United States. Work on the auto highway began in 1915 at a meeting held at the Battle House Hotel in Mobile, Alabama; and, by the 1920s, the trail linked St. Augustine, Florida, to San Diego, California, with its center and headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. The work at San Antonio, and indeed nationally, was overseen by an executive committee consisting of prominent San Antonio businessmen which met at the Gunter Hotel weekly.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Horton Plaza (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in San Diego, California

    Horton Plaza was a five-level outdoor shopping mall in downtown San Diego, California. It was designed by Jon Jerde and was known for its bright colors, architectural tricks, and odd spatial rhythms, occupying 6.5 city blocks adjacent to the city's historic Gaslamp Quarter. Opening in 1985, it was the first successful downtown retail center since the rise of suburban shopping centers decades earlier.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shoppes at Carlsbad</span> Shopping mall in Carlsbad, California

    The Shoppes at Carlsbad is a shopping mall in Carlsbad, California. The mall was originally named Plaza Camino Real when it was built in 1969, but was rebranded several times when it was a Westfield Holdings property (1994-2015). Its anchor stores are JCPenney and Macy's. A Robinsons-May closed in 2006, while Sears closed on December 15, 2019.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield UTC</span> Outdoor shopping mall in San Diego, California, United States

    Westfield UTC is an upscale, open-air shopping mall in the University City community of San Diego, California. It lies just east of La Jolla, near the University of California, San Diego. The mall is served by the UTC Transit Center, which is the northern terminus of the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Valley (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in San Diego, California

    Mission Valley is a retail complex consisting of a traditional open-air shopping mall owned by Real Capital Solutions and Lowe, and a power center owned by Sunbelt Investment Holdings Inc., in Mission Valley, San Diego. The Mission Valley East was managed by the Dallas-based Centennial. Anchor stores include Macy's Home Furniture, Michaels, Target, and Nordstrom Rack. There are 2 vacant anchor store that were once Macy's and Bed Bath & Beyond. The power center across Mission Center Road known as Mission Valley West is anchored by big box retailers like DSW Shoes, West Elm, Old Navy, Trader Joe's and Marshalls.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown San Diego</span> City center of San Diego, California, United States

    Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven districts: Gaslamp Quarter, East Village, Columbia, Marina, Cortez Hill, Little Italy, and Core.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Pythias Lodge Building (San Diego)</span> United States historic place

    The Pythias Lodge Building in San Diego, California, also known as Community Arts Complex or Intercultural Council of the Arts, is a Beaux Arts architecture building built in 1911.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Balboa Park (San Diego)</span> Historic San Diego park

    Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California. Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The park hosts various museums, theaters, restaurants, and the San Diego Zoo. It is managed and maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Diego.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">California Quadrangle</span> United States historic place

    The California Quadrangle, California Building, and California Tower are historic structures located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. They were built for the 1915–16 Panama-California Exposition and served as the grand entry to the Expo. The buildings and courtyard were designed by architect Bertram Goodhue. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 17, 1974. They now house the Museum of Us.

    <i>Bea Evenson Fountain</i>

    Bea Evenson Fountain is an outdoor fountain in San Diego's Balboa Park, in the U.S. state of California.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Alonzo Horton</span> Statue in San Diego, California, U.S.

    Alonzo E. Horton is a statue of the American real estate developer of the same name, installed at the intersection of Third Avenue and E Street, across from San Diego's Westfield Horton Plaza, in the U.S. state of California.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials</span> Ongoing development in the United States

    There are more than 160 Confederate monuments and memorials to the Confederate States of America and associated figures that have been removed from public spaces in the United States, all but five of which have been since 2015. Some have been removed by state and local governments; others have been torn down by protestors.

    References

    1. 1 2 Showley, Roger (April 29, 2016). "Horton Plaza: Historic park reopens in $17M expansion". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
    2. ↑ "Horton Plaza Park". Walker Macy.
    3. 1 2 "Historical Landmarks Designated by the SD Historical Resources Board" (PDF). City of San Diego Historical Resources Board. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
    4. ↑ Burnham, Mary Maud (Fall 1974). "SAN DIEGO'S HORTON PLAZA". The Journal of San Diego History. 20 (4).
    5. 1 2 Amero, Richard W. "Horton Plaza Park: Where People Meet and Opposites Collide". Balboa Park History. Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
    6. ↑ Carpenter, Ford A. (1913). The Climate and Weather of San Diego, California. San Diego: San Diego Chamber of Commerce. pp. 97–98.
    7. 1 2 3 Bell, Diane (June 24, 2020). "Lee highway marker was quietly removed from Horton Plaza". San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved July 20, 2023.
    8. ↑ Stewart, Joshua (August 16, 2017). "Confederate plaque in San Diego has history of controversy, repeated removals". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
    9. ↑ "J. D. Highway". www.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
    10. ↑ Gunter, Booth; Kizzire, Jamie. Gunter, Booth (ed.). "Whose heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy" (PDF). Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
    11. 1 2 Stickney, R.; Pollock, Cassia (August 16, 2017). "Plaque in Honor of Confederate President Jefferson Davis Removed from San Diego Park". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
    12. ↑ "Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Horton Plaza, San Diego, CA | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
    13. ↑ "Historical Landmarks Designated by the San Diego Historical Resources Board" (PDF). SanDiego.gov. August 31, 2004. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
    14. ↑ Showley, Roger (2011). "Horton Plaza park expansion design selected". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Tribune Publishing.
    15. ↑ "Horton Plaza Park". Horton Plaza Park. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
    16. ↑ "Restored Park Opens at Downtown's Horton Plaza". San Diego Business Journal. May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
    17. ↑ "I.J. Wilde Electric Fountain in Plaza Park, U.S. Grant Hotel in Background, San Diego, Cal". cdm16736.contentdm.oclc.org.
    18. ↑ ""Electric Fountain" San Diego · Chinese Historical Society of Southern California Digital Archives · CHSSC Digital Media Library". chsscdigital.libraryhost.com.
    19. ↑ "Electric Fountain, City Plaza, San Diego, California". cdm16736.contentdm.oclc.org.
    20. ↑ Sutro, Dirk (September 19, 1988). "Mystery of the Architect and the Cemetery Fountain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
    21. ↑ Coons, Alana. "The Broadway Fountain How it came to be SOHO's logo". Save Our Heritage Organisation. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
    22. ↑ Pourade, Richard F. (1965). Gold in the Sun (1st ed.). San Diego: The Union-Tribune Publishing Company. p. 170. ISBN   0-913938-04-1.
    23. ↑ Hirsh, Lou (March 3, 2016). "May 4 Opening Scheduled for Horton Plaza Park". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
    24. ↑ "Horton Plaza Park". Horton Plaza Park. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
    25. ↑ Woo, Candice (2016). "Horton Plaza Park Grand Opens Downtown With Sloan's Ice Cream". San Diego Eater. Vox Media.
    26. ↑ Showley, Roger (2016). "Horton Plaza Park opening May 4". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Tribune Publishing.


    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.