The Gaslamp Quarter is a 16½-block neighborhood in the downtown area of San Diego, California. It extends from Broadway to Harbor Drive and from 4th to 6th Avenue. Listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places as Gaslamp Quarter Historic District, it includes 94 historic buildings, most of which were constructed in the Victorian Era; many are used as restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and nightclubs. It is the site of various events and festivals, including Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp, Street Scene Music Festival, Taste of Gaslamp, and ShamROCK, a St. Patrick’s Day event. Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, is one block away from the East Village neighborhood. San Diegans generally refer to the area as “the Gaslamp,” rarely “Gaslamp Quarter,” as on the entryway arch and official city signage and banners.
In the 1860s, the area was known as New Town, in contrast to Old Town, the original Spanish colonial settlement of San Diego. Intensive development began in 1867 when Alonzo Horton bought the land to create a new city center closer to the bay and chose 5th Avenue as its main street. After urban decay, the neighborhood underwent urban renewal in the 1980s and 1990s. The “Gaslamp Quarter” rebranded during the redevelopment and preservation efforts that occurred during the 1980s, though arc lights, not gaslamps, generally lighted the streets. Four new gaslamps have been installed at Market Street and 5th Avenue.
Things to Do
Nightclubs
- Bassmnt is the most exciting underground nightclub to hit the San Diego Downtown scene. Raw and edgy, Bassmnt is a uniquely designed venue perfectly blending cutting-edge audiovisual technology with a rugged ultra-modern feel in an incredible historic property. EZ San Diego Junk Removal
- F6ix is an upscale hip-hop nightclub venue that brings a new beat to San Diego, CA’s downtown nightlife scene. Located at F Street and Sixth Ave, F6ix’s modest entrance features a staircase that descends to reveal a hidden gem below.
Restaurants
- Asti Ristorante This Traditional Italian restaurant encompasses an inviting and intimate atmosphere. Having provided this exquisite fine-dining experience for over 20 years, Asti continues to be one of the Gaslamp’s finest Italian restaurants.
- Lionfish Coastal Cuisine is as social as the bustling neighborhood that surrounds it. Located in the Pendry San Diego in the city’s trendy Gaslamp Quarter sits Lionfish, the dynamic, design-driven hotspot on 5th Avenue that honors the essence of the city’s lifestyle.
- Full Moon Refined under the tutelage of master sushi luminaries, Chef Sung’s Full Moon will be uniquely on display in the Gaslamp District, San Diego, CA debuting as the first Kaizen sushi restaurant in San Diego.
Check out other neighborhoods like Liberty Station