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Named after the man who tried but failed to develop San Diego in 1850, the museum is home to the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation. It is the oldest wooden structure in downtown San Diego.

Sign for the William Heath Davis House

A bank until 1893, this Victorian structure became Wyatt Earp’s (see Wyatt Earp (1848–1929)) favorite bar. It once contained the Golden Poppy Hotel, a notorious brothel. Present-day offices are much tamer.

Captain Wilcox of the US Invincible owned downtown’s first brick structure in 1849. Named for his business dealings in Yuma, Arizona, residential lofts with bay windows now occupy the building’s upper levels.

Dating from 1874, this Italianate building features 16-ft (5-m) ceilings, brick arches, classical columns, and a wrought-iron cage elevator. In 1900, the entire city government would fit inside. Today, the building houses offices and a restaurant.

This landmark 1,500-seat theater once had waterfalls flanking the stage. Though closed for renovations until 2007, do notice the beautiful tiled dome on the roof, which is similar to the one on the Santa Fe Depot.

Once a dance hall then a five-and-dime store, this building housed one of San Diego’s oldest businesses, founded in 1892. Though the store is relocating, the original storefront will remain.

Fannie Keating built this Romanesque-style building in 1890 in honor of her husband George. It once housed the town’s most prestigious offices.

The Hard Rock Café was once known as the Golden Lion Tavern. Note the lion sculptures,the stained-glass windows, and the 1906 stained-glass dome over the bar.

Built in 1913, the four-story tiled structure features Chinese elements and the original beveled glass in its upper stories. Japanese prisoners were housed here before departing for internment camps during World War II. The Lincoln is now home to low-income residents.

Although San Diego’s historic district is named after the quaint green wrought-iron gas lamps that line the streets, they run on electricity.