Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, which is the largest city in San Diego County, with more than 4,000 businesses in seven districts. The downtown area is home to the San Diego Convention Center, the San Diego Symphony, the San Diego Opera, and Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, a professional baseball team. Downtown is where most city, county, state, and federal government offices are located.

San Diego Bay is located to the west and southwest; Bankers Hill, Middletown and Balboa Park are to the north, and Logan heights is to the southeast. San Diego International Airport is located immediately northwest.

Districts within Downtown San Diego include: Columbia, Core District, Cortez Hill, East Village, Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy, and Marina. Coronado Island is across the bay.

Historical landmarks include the Gas Lamp Quarter Historic District, Balboa Theatre, Star of India, Pantoja Park, U.S. Grant Hotel, and the U.S. Courthouse.

The Gaslamp Quarter is the original Spanish settlement of San Diego. Listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, it contains 94 historic buildings, most of which, were built during the Victorian Era from 1837 to 1901. Most are used as restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues. Locals refer to the area as "the Gaslamp" Historic buildings include the Horton Grand Hotel, the Grand Pacific Hotel, the Yuma Building, the Bijou Theater, the William Penn Hotel, Louis Bank of Commerce, the Keating Building, the Watts-Robinson Building and the Woolworth Building.

 

Keating Building

The Keating Building, also known as the Keating Hotel, is a magnificent five story historic building in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, built in the Romanesque Revival style in 1893. The building was originally constructed for office use but is now utilized as a luxury boutique hotel.

 

Embarcadero

The Embarcadero is the San Diego cruise ship terminal and is home to the museum ships USS Midway, Star of India, and seven other historic vessels. The Embarcadero, or boarding place, is in Downtown San Diego at the Port of San Diego. The Embarcadero is also the location of numerous restaurants and shops.

 

Little Italy San Diego

Little Italy is a popular neighborhood, near the Embarcadero in Downtown San Diego that offers many Italian and Portuguese restaurants, festivals, a weekly Farmers market referred to as the Mercado, art galleries, shops, and various entertainment events. Little Italy is a major tourist attraction attracting visitors from all over Southern California. It is governed by the Little Italy Neighborhood Association.

 

Little Italy Association of San Diego

The Little Italy Association of San was established in 1996 to oversee and expedite the revitalization and beautification of the Little Italy neighborhood in Downtown San Diego. The Association represents the property owners, residents, and businesses of Little Italy.

The Association is the only Little Italy district management corporation of its kind in any neighborhood in the United States. The Association pledges to advocate on behalf of its members' best interests in the areas of public safety, beautification, promotion, and economic development while preserving the unique cultural resources that exist in our neighborhood.

The Association currently has 28 Board Members that are comprised of property owners, residents, business owners and community-at-Iarge representatives.

 

San Diego Convention Center

The San Diego Convention Center is located in the Marina District of Downtown San Diego near the historic Gaslamp Quarter. The center opened in 1989 and provides 614,700 square feet of exhibit space and a ballroom of 80,700 square feet. It hosted the 1996 Republican National Convention and was the venue of the 2007 California Democratic Party Convention.

 

Spreckels Theater

Spreckels Theater is a historic performing arts center in Downtown San Diego built in 1912. The magnificent, six-story building is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is a San Diego Historic Landmark. The building is currently closed for renovation.

 

Horton Grand Hotel

The Horton Grand Hotel is a magnificent, restored , historic hotel built in 1887 in Downtown San Diego. The restored Italianate Victorian structure is the merger of two historic hotels, the Grand Horton and the Brooklyn Kahle Saddlery. The Horton Grand Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the oldest hotel in San Diego and is restored and open for business.

 

U.S. Grant Hotel

The U.S. Grant Hotel, built in 1910, is a historic hotel in Downtown San Diego. The magnificent hotel is 11 stories high and has 510 guest rooms in addition to several meeting rooms and ballrooms. It was built in the Classical Revival, Beaux architectural style. Ulysses S. Grant Jr., the son of the former president and commanding general of the Union Army, supervised the construction of the hotel which was named for his father. Guests have included twelve former presidents. The hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

San Diego Regional East County

Chamber of Commerce

For over 100 years, the San Diego Regional East County Chamber of Commerce has been the respected voice of and advocate for improving business opportunities, public policy, and business relationships throughout San Diego County. Membership benefits include opportunities for networking, inclusion in the chamber directory, valuable workshops, inexpensive advertising opportunities, and more. Members are from San Diego, EI Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, Spring Valley, Poway, Lemon Grove, Chula Vista, and the surrounding areas.

 

 

Historical Societies Directory - San Diego County

City of San Diego Historic Landmarks