Gaslamp Quarter and William Heath Davis House

The Gaslamp Quarter is a 16-block historic district in downtown San Diego, California, and the William Heath Davis House at 410 Island Avenue is its oldest surviving building. Davis, a San Francisco merchant, tried to found a new San Diego waterfront settlement in the 1850s; the project, nicknamed Davis' Folly, failed, but in 1867 Alonzo Horton succeeded with New Town on nearby land. The Davis House, a prefabricated saltbox timber house shipped around Cape Horn from Maine in 1850, is the survivor of that early venture. The Gaslamp Quarter developed from the 1870s through the 1900s as a commercial and entertainment area with Victorian commercial buildings, hotels, saloons and, notoriously, brothels in what was known as the Stingaree district. Wyatt Earp ran gambling operations in the area in the 1880s. By the mid-20th century the district had declined, and a preservation and revitalization campaign beginning in the 1970s led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and its present role as a dining and nightlife district. The architecture includes Italianate, Romanesque, Victorian Commercial and early 20th-century facades, notably the Louis Bank of Commerce building from 1888 and the Keating Building from 1890. The Davis House museum is operated by the Gaslamp Quarter Association and shows period furnishings and exhibits on the area's history, and it serves as the starting point for walking tours. The approach is a mix of a small museum and a self-guided or guided outdoor tour. Restoration of the Davis House has included structural repairs and period interior work. Walking the district is free, and museum hours vary, so visitors should confirm times before arriving. Evenings are lively, so those who want a quieter look at the architecture often visit in the daytime. The district lies near Petco Park, the Convention Center and the waterfront.