Horton Plaza — which was originally the site of a hotel built in 1870 by Alonzo Horton — had become seedy and rundown, prompting many local merchants and citizens to boost clean-up efforts in the area. In 1972, the San Diego City Council approved a plan that would redevelop 15 blocks downtown, including the Horton Plaza site. However, before construction of the shopping center could begin 10 years later, the Horton site encountered political scandal, financial difficulties, reluctance by major department stores to locate downtown and opposition from preservation groups who fought the demolition of historically significant buildings.
Despite its setbacks, Horton Plaza opened in 1985 and was the first successful effort in decades to develop a retail area in downtown San Diego. Many Horton Plaza proponents believe the center spurred a re-birth of downtown — the plaza’s home, the 16-block historic Gaslamp Quarter, has since been enjoyed by locals and international visitors alike, with its variety of open air restaurants, jazz and dance clubs, micro breweries and resident artists.
Besides bringing millions of dollars into the city, the development of Horton Plaza also led to the creation of the Centre City Development Corp., a public, non-profit corporation that oversees downtown redevelopment projects and programs.
The buildings of Balboa Park were constructed largely for the two World’s Fairs that were held there and later used by the military during World War II. In the early 1960’s, the buildings fell into varying states of disarray, with many developers pushing to tear down the buildings and construct roads criss-crossing the park. Formed in 1967, and armed with civic pride, a group of citizens known as “The Committee of One Hundred” fought the developers to get the buildings listed on the National Register of Historic places — saving the park and its buildings from demolition.
Balboa Park — now home to the World famous San Diego Zoo, the Old Globe Theater, several restaurants, shops, historic landmarks and museums — has brought much-needed culture and revenue to the city. The economic impact of the Zoo on the San Diego region in 2002, for example, was an estimated $514 million. Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the United States, is also home to nearly a fifth of the city’s 90 museums and many of the region’s major non-profit arts and culture organizations. In 2001, these organizations attracted roughly 1.8 million tourists to the region, contributing $235 million to the local economy.
The Coronado Bay Bridge — which won the “Most Beautiful Bridge” Award of Merit from the American Institute of Steel Construction in 1970 — was rejected in 1926 when John D. Spreckels Co. first proposed it. The bridge hit another roadblock when the Coronado City Council dropped the project in the mid 1930’s after objections by the U.S. Navy that included a fear that the bridge, if destroyed, could shut-down San Diego’s harbor, trapping the Navy’s ships. Then, in 1962, the San Diego City Council rejected yet another plan promoted by Hotel del Coronado owner John Alessio.
In the face of much criticism, then California Gov. Edmond Brown helped fuel efforts to build the new bridge, which took two years and nearly $50 million to complete. In August 1969, the late Ronald Reagan – then governor of California — led the caravan that made the first official trip across the Coronado Bridge.
In 1999, the Coronado Bridge brought in $8 million dollars in toll fees. The bridge, which is now free, carries an average of 68,000 vehicles per day into Coronado.
The University of California, San Diego faced considerable roadblocks when it was established. In order to bring a full-service University of California campus to San Diego, the Chamber of Commerce had to overcome obstacles such as disputes about city-planning, contentious municipal elections, fights among regents, complicated real estate transactions, military decisions made in Washington and disputations over whether the university should be named for La Jolla or San Diego.
After five years and all forms of struggle and marked by the official act of the university’s board of regents, the Chamber of Commerce finally succeeded in bringing UCSD to San Diego in 1960.
The University of California, San Diego has since become the county’s largest employer, contributing more than $850 million to the local economy. U.S. News and World Report recently ranked UCSD as the 7th best public university in the nation.
In 1925, just hours before the annual Fireman’s Ball was set to kick off in Balboa Park’s Civic Auditorium, something ironic happened — the auditorium burned to the ground. In the years that followed, many San Diegans yearned for a new convention center to replace the building. Not all residents shared this vision, however.
From 1946 to 1981, there were six separate measures brought before the voting public in efforts to build a new convention center. All were met with defeat. In 1962, a proposal was floated to purchase a retired aircraft carrier and convert it into convention space.
The most serious effort came in 1981, when a large scale mail-ballot vote was supported by then-Mayor Pete Wilson to spend $224 million on a new convention center near the Santa Fe Depot. Vocal detractors of the plan complained that it would be too expensive for the city to handle. Wilson’s referendum was rejected by a 57 to 43 percent margin.
Finally, in 1983, 59 percent of San Diego’s voters passed a proposal to build a new convention center along Harbor Drive that would be funded by the port district.
Construction of the new center was not without roadblocks, including a public uproar over drastic price adjustments, a rejection of the plan by the California Coastal Commission and fighting between city hall and developers.
An expansion was completed to the convention center in 2001 which doubled its original size. Today, the center generates $1.2 billion in economic impact for the region and $26.3 million in tax revenues.
