Old Town San Diego is considered the birthplace of California. In fact, San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization.
Father Serra’s mission and presidio were built on a hillside overlooking what is currently known as Old Town San Diego. At the base of the hill in 1820, there was a small Mexican community of adobe buildings and by 1835 these had attained the status of El Pueblo de San Diego. In 1846, a United States Navy and Marine Lieutenant raised the American flag in the Old Town San Diego Plaza.
Before the first Spanish settlement in 1769, the earliest indications of people living in San Diego date back 9,000 years. They called themselves Kumeyaay. When the Spaniards arrived, they used the word Diegueño to identify the Indians. In 1542 explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo reported that the native Indians, “were good natured and an attractive people.” With the arrival of the Spanish settlements in 1769, many Kumeyaay retreated to the hills.
During the pueblo period following Mexican independence, the Old Town area was the commercial and governmental hub of the region, even though its population was never more than a few hundred. In 1834, the Mexican government granted San Diego the status of a pueblo or chartered town; however, its pueblo status was revoked in 1838 due to declining population. One problem limiting the town’s growth was its location far from navigable water. All imports and exports had to be brought ashore in Point Loma and carried several miles over the La Playa Trail to the town.
When California was admitted to the United States in 1850, San Diego was still largely limited to the Old Town area, even though the town’s population at that time was only 650.
The Old Town area remained the heart of the city of San Diego until the 1860s, when a newcomer to San Diego named Alonzo Horton began to promote development on the site of present-day downtown San Diego. Residents and businesses quickly started to abandon Old Town for Horton’s new town because of its proximity to shipping. In 1871, government records were moved from Old Town to a new county courthouse in the new town. From that point on, the new town became the focal point of San Diego and Old Town was slowly abandoned. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park preserves and recreates Old Town as it existed during the Mexican and early American periods, from its settlement in 1821, through 1872 when it lost its dominant position to downtown.
In 1968, the state of California Department of Parks and Recreation established Old Town State Historic Park to preserve the rich heritage that characterized San Diego during the 1821 to 1872 period. The park includes a main plaza, exhibits, museums, living history demonstrations and many other attractions.
The historic buildings in Old Town San Diego include La Casa de Estudillo, La Casa de Bandini, La Casa de Altamirno Pedrorena and the Mason Street School, San Diego’s first one-room schoolhouse. Just up the hill from Old Town San Diego Historic State Park, you’ll find Heritage Park where several of San Diego’s most notable Victorian homes have been relocated and authentically restored to their original splendor. Just a short walk down San Diego Avenue is the Whaley House, an officially designated haunted house. Further down the avenue is El Campo Santo, an 1850 Catholic cemetery. Conde Street houses the Little Adobe Chapel, the first church in Old Town San Diego.
Living history demonstrations and free tours are regularly scheduled. Historical interpretation is primarily carried out by park employees and volunteers, and the Mexican commercial corner is host to several locally based small businesses and artists.
The Old Town area is a popular tourist destination, known especially for its Mexican restaurants. The state park itself hosts several eating establishments, gift shops and attractions.
The commercial facilities in Old Town State Park are now managed by an outside contractor. For more than 30 years the contractor was Bazaar del Mundo, run by San Diego businesswoman Diane Powers. In a controversial move, the state park agency did not renew her contract but awarded it to Plaza del Pasado run by Delaware North Companies, in 2005. The state’s goal was to create a more authentic and historically correct understanding and appreciation of life and commerce in San Diego as it was from 1821 to 1872. However, revenue plunged under the new management. In spring 2009, Delaware North withdrew from its contract with the state and management changed hands to the Old Town Family Hospitality Corporation, headed by local restaurateur Chuck Ross. The commercial area is now called Fiesta de Reyes (Festival of the Kings).
Old Town San Diego is a fantastic place to enjoy and is a major part of our San Diego history. Visit and enjoy the original and reconstructed period buildings and furnishings and soak up the atmosphere and feel of where California actually began.
Trent St. Louis is a licensed Real Estate Agent and a member of the National, California and San Diego Association of Realtors. You can reach Trent at trent@tns.net or at his office in Hillcrest, The Metropolitan Group. DRE#01273643.
