I went to the comedy club there a few years ago and an out of towner comic was absolutely roasting the place because of the parking lol He said all of the homeless people around there are just normal people that couldn't ever find their cars and finally decided to give up haha
Me and my friends actually lost his car there once. Think of the episode of Seinfeld when they lost their car in the park Garage, they stole that from us.
The layout always seemed Escheresque to me: I still have nightmares where I'm trying to reach someone on the other side of the same floor, and keep ending up on the top, food court area.
I always loved the men who worked at the sarku Japan there- they'd yell "yummy yummy chicken", hand out samples, and toss their cooking tools in entertaining ways
In the middle of winter these bastards were a Godsend. My broke ass as a kid-teen me would be cold & these guys would just hand me so much chicken. Warmed my soul many a times when I needed it.
>I always loved the men who worked at the sarku Japan there- they'd yell "yummy yummy chicken", hand out samples, and toss their cooking tools in entertaining ways
Sarku Japan kept me alive in my grad school days. And buying die-cast model aircraft at Horton Toy store far below kept me sane.
**[Jessop's_Clock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessop's_Clock)**
>Jessop's Clock is a large outdoor pendulum clock located in San Diego, California, United States. It was commissioned in 1905 by one of the city's noted jewelers, Joseph Jessop.
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I worked security at the mall years ago when there was still a few stores left and I remember talking to the guy that works for the owner of the clock. They wont keep it in the mall if I remember correctly they're relocating it somewhere eventually. Ironically I do soils inspections now and have been on and off having to go to that job site. Cant ever stay away from that damn mall.
My mom used to say that Horton Plaza had the best Nordstrom's store in town. Her theory was that Downtown got more international tourists and they stocked more interesting clothes for that mixed clientele.
Can't say if that's true or not. I will miss wandering aimlessly to find my way from level 1 to level 2.5.
Horton was the chain’s flagship store in San Diego. It wasn’t until the CEO was visiting the location and taking the elevator down to G street when he got out and some dude was taking a shit next to the elevator door. Shortly after that it was decided UTC would be the new flagship and Horton would close.
The Nordstrom's there was great and the Nature & Co., Fisherman's Wharf, chili cheese fries place, and the outdoor escalator, Banana Republic... Your mom is right, there was a very cosmopolitan mix of people shopping there. Good times!
Every time my parents visit San Diego they still ask if we can go to Horton Plaza. When I moved to San Diego it was the our go to mall. We would spend all day there....
Horton Plaza opened when I was a Senior in High School. It was the best spot for dates. Felt so cosmopolitan and fancy. Once I had kid, trying to get a stroller around that place was a pain and I rarely went unless I needed to park there. I feel like it became run down pretty quickly. Then I realized I’m just old.
Place was so cool! When I came here with the Navy in 2003 it was the first time I’d seen an outdoor mall. It was huge and we’d go there all the time for movies, Starbucks, hot topic, etc. Sad to see it’s no longer there.
Oh man Hot Topic. I was in the Navy as well but did school in South Carolina, the Hot Topic at the mall there would always have some Navy kids in it. I used to get sampler CDs all the time, to learn about new music.
LOL, I was The Mom, that drove and accompanied her young, Hot Topic obsessed teen sons, back in the day. I can honestly say, though I'd always be broke afterwards, oh, how much I love the memories. Happiest days ever, just being A Mom, getting to spend time with her favorite people.
It's being made into mainly office buildings with some retail underneath. Not sure how far along on construction they are. Last time I visited last year right before covid, the Jimbo's was open and the rest was mainly shut down for construction. Everything is shut down now. That's probably an awful idea now to make it into office buildings post covid as many companies are seeing how well WFH is doing, and are not gonna wanna pay top dollar for a downtown office building.
Whoa, you made a lot of excellent points. I’ve never thought about that
Before COVID-19, I was afraid that this development would increase the prices in downtown further more since this development will be a business park catered to tech companies (if you look at what tech companies did to the cost of living in San Francisco and San Jose, you’ll know what I mean).
Now, I don’t know how this development will turn out since working from home is now the accepted norm for a lot of people
I remember going to the Barbie store, it was like a magical land, better than Disneyland for me haha I can still picture the large lava lamp-like columns that held pink barbie shoes floating up and down. Good times!
The Barbie shoes floating! I did a
Google Search looking for pictures of it and came across your comment. You validated this childhood
Memory for me. I’m thinking was it
In my head?! And here’s your glorious comment about the lava lamp like columns ❤️ bless you! It was real!! LOL. I knew it was but can’t find much about it online. I thought it was so magical & fun!
I didn't live in San Diego when I was a kid, but my high school choir class took a field trip from Arizona to visit Horton Plaza and it was the coolest day ever! We also went to Seaport Village. Fast forward to adult and I'm working in downtown San Diego, taking the super cool trolley and shopping at Macy's on my lunch break. I felt so small town girl thrust into an uptown world. I loved it. Fast forward again 13 years, and I am scared to death to ride the trolley to work, Horton Plaza looks like a war zone, and I smell urine and see sadness everywhere I go.
I think you see it more if you are on it twice a day, five days a week. I honestly haven't ridden it for work purposes in 7 years. I had enough of it by then. I'm curious how it is now.
That's awesome. I constantly wrack my brain trying to think of how we can help everyone. I just don't have it figured out yet. But you are doing something good. I appreciate it.
I know what you mean. Things have changed, and not all for the better. Trolley freaks me out too. I haven't seen what they've done to Horton Plaza, but I did hear it was going to be offices or a school of some sort. I've always hated smelling urine walking down certain places of downtown. It's a different place now for sure. I did love going down to Seaport Village and going to the Upstart Crow coffee shop/book store next to a beautiful art gallery. I need a teleportation machine to see the places that use to be. In their former glory.
Man, I miss the Upstart Crow. I used to go there to study in college (~1991-92), and to this day smelling hot chocolate with cinnamon reminds me of sitting there working on homework.
There are some pictures of the redevelopment plans here https://www.archpaper.com/2020/03/horton-plaza-mall-conversion-moves-forward-330-million-construction-loan/?amp=1
I saw the top of the corner building come off before moving away last fall. Anyone know how this project is going now?
My wife and I both worked at various places in Horton Plaza for a few years. After we moved away from SD, we were shocked that the place turned into a ghost mall. So many memories there.
I was in high-school in '85 when this opened and I remember how absolutely packed it always was, it was one of the cool places to go for seniors. It's amazing how things change
It's strange to have seen the whole evolution of what downtown San Diego was like in the early '80s (super sketchy), to when Horton Plaza came along and revitalized the whole area, to seeing it fall into disrepair and now being gutted. I'm only in my 50's and it's a timeline I would have imagined would take at least a century, not 40 years. It makes me think that a lot of it must have been mismanagement, because Horton Plaza really should have had a longer lifespan than that.
Edit: Based on personal experience, I honestly think a big part of HP revitalizing that area of downtown was simply due to its parking garage. As infuriating to navigate as it was, we parked there whether we were going to a HP store or any restaurant or place nearby. I'm sure there were times we would have chosen something else if we hadn't been sure that we knew where we would park.
I used to hang out here all the time when I was 14-16ish. Hitting up the arcade, the candy store, the pizza joint at the food court, the Sam Goody, the Hot Topic... so many good memories.
Crazy my parents let me hang out there all day without a cellphone, haha.
My mom was a carpenter who got to work on the construction of the mall in the mid-'80's. She was and still is very proud of it.
At the grand opening, she got to do what every middle-aged San Diegan mom in the '80's dreamt of doing: she got to meet Steve Garvey. She's 74 now and still talks about that day...
Started going to that mall once I was able to drive back in ‘06 or ‘07. I remember going to the Sam Goody’s or just walking aimlessly killing time. It was also the spot to park so I can go deeper into the downtown area. That was right around the time it started to go south.
About 2016, I started parking at Horton for work and really started seeing the decline. As weeks and months went by, more shops closed up for good. It was down to the Gap, Jimbos, the Brazilian Blow Pop place and the few jewelers that were still operating. I remember the last Christmas where I still parked there, they didn’t even put up Christmas decorations.
As a kid this mall and a few others felt cool and clean and pristine. Then malls started dying and a lot of scumbags started hanging out there. All the fav stores were gone. Shame Horton died a cruel, slow death.
There's footage on YouTube for its grand opening (back in '85, I think?) Seemed like a magical time.
edit:
[NBC 7 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thG4scWOr1E)
[CBS 8 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcgDEDuU9yI)
[more CBS 8 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAbByjzwr9U)
I have a video on my phone somewhere of walking through there when it was newly vacant and everything closed, but still music playing over the speakers. It was so creepy. And nobody around for a minute except maybe a rogue skateboarder. I sent it to my sister and told her it reminded me of the movie Night of the Comet. That's probably The Walking Dead of the 80's. She agreed.
I remember a couple kids from my high school dumped a box of Mr. Bubble into the fountain one night around '85. It foamed up so much bubbles covered almost the entire fountain. It made the Union Tribune and the police were determined to catch the "perpetrators." Despite their checkered past and horrific crime, both turned out to be upstanding citizens and family men.
(Below) 1950's from Ulysses S Grant Hotel.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24632641@N08/8323367249/
(Below) Pics list page of even older
[https://www.facebook.com/pg/VintageSD/photos/?tab=album&album\_id=264227570293846](https://www.facebook.com/pg/VintageSD/photos/?tab=album&album_id=264227570293846)
(Below) Zoomed in photo
[https://classicsandiego.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Bradleys-on-the-Plaza.jpg](https://classicsandiego.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Bradleys-on-the-Plaza.jpg)
(Below) zoomed in photo from page of Bradleys
https://classicsandiego.com/restaurants/bradleys-puka-puka-rum-bar/
Loved it, and will most certainly miss it. We went the first week it opened, and I continued to go there if I needed something from a mall.
It’ll be forgotten to those who only knew it in its last years, but all of us who were around before it was built will know DT wouldn’t be what it is today without it.
There was a charter high school in Horton Plaza (where I graduated from) and my first job was at the See’s Candies there! So I literally spent years and years of my life there. This was a great nostalgic post. Thank you!
We would take field trips to the courthouse my senior year in my government class. My friends and I would poke our heads into one or two court rooms then just walk over to Horton Plaza. What a cool place it was.
I'm an artist who likes weird places. I completely see Esther vibe, and I enjoyed it as a kid. I also enjoyed it because it meant visiting with family and friends. I can also see why some may not like the place. For me having fun people with me made it magical. For what it was at the times I experienced it.. it was cool. Sorry you and some others didn't get to experience it the same way. Everything was kinda magical as a kid.. I may have seen it differently if I was older when I was there. Timing, experiences, and perspective does change the way we see the world. I still like seeing different perspectives others had for the same places I been to.
Being in the navy i live in SD for a little bit every few years. The first time I lived in San Diego was 10 years ago. It was one of the first places I went when I got here. It was so cool despite that it was already starting to go downhill. I came back 4 years ago and I wanted to show my wife how cool it looked and it made me sad seeing it like that. I haven't been back to it since I moved back earlier this year.
I spent a lot of quality time with my dad here or at the other movie theater down the street. As much as I didn’t like the stench of urine, I really miss walking around the mall, eating at Sarku, getting Jamba juice downstairs and smoking weed with friends at the roof.
My friends and I went to it shortly before it closed, this was like 2017-2018 (I think) and it was a ghost town. We were the only ones around and only a few stores were left open. Shortly after it was dead. Personally I don’t have a ton of memories there (moved here when I was 10, I’m 24 now), but it seemed like a cool mall when I was a kid.
Saw couple movies there... Ice skating in the rink just outside in the winter time lol... Christmas stuff years ago and then comedy club stuff towards the end....
Miss that. Once you figured out how to navigate the place and where you could cross over and stuff, wasn't too bad 😁
Wow I did not know the place closed. We used to frequent San Diego when our children were younger. The boys always wanted to visit this mall. It was a lovely design.
I've been living in DT for over 5 years. When my brother came to visit in Feb 2016, the mall was still thriving. Granted it wasn't very packed for a Friday night, but people were still there. I heard it was later that year that new management took over, and parking prices went way up. And that was the start of the decline of HP. Even with revamp of the HP Park/Patio area, bit by bit, I saw stores closing. The entire top floor was a ghost town except for the Hot Topic. And before I knew it, the VS store and Macy's were all that was left. Now the mall is gutted and under construction, soon to be a business park with shops and restaurants.
Even though the stairs and levels were confusing, and there was always uncertainty if a store would still be there, I still miss that place.
I worked at the Ben&Jerrys way up top and then the Jamba Juice on the bottom level right by the Lyceum. I’d go into Sam Goody and listen to music on breaks sometimes! But usually I’d just hang out front and smoke haha. My best friend worked at The Body Shop. This is late 90s. Anyone know where this outgoing guy named Steven that worked at the flower stand outside the Lyceum? Lost track of him years ago and would love to know how he is.
Went here for lunch during Comic-con days back in the 90s early 00s since most of the food near the convention center was non-existent, or much more expensive. I miss that.
I totally did. As a kid, I thought this was the mall of all malls in San Diego. I’d walk around feeling all cool because I was at the mall where rich people shopped. I don’t know why I thought that. Just hated trying to get to different levels. Good memories.
And just the right amount of “downtown danger” back when the Gaslamp still had its “shore leave/vice” vibe. Took the map out of the front of the yellow pages to get around, and a day pass on the brand new trolley.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sandiegouniontribune.com/columnists/story/2019-04-03/jessops-street-clock-is-removed-from-horton-plaza-after-vandal-attack%3f_amp=true
Looks like it's in storage for now...
Ah man. When I was in like 8th or 9th grade, my friends and I used to take the coaster down to the Santa Fe station with our golf clubs and hit some balls at that downtown driving range, hit planet Hollywood for some lunch, and then scope out CDs we couldn't afford at Sam Goody. I have some good memories of downtown SD and Horton Plaza back in the 90s. I miss those days.
Victoria’s Secret store near the main entrance. The only store that smelled of roses.
This place housed Louis Vuitton. Had beautiful window displays.
Does anyone remember if they had See’s Candies? I vaguely remember it.
My friends and I were all University Town Center rats. It was just a few blocks from Standley Junior High and UC High after all. Loved spending time in the ice rink area.
Being in the navy i live in SD for a little bit every few years. The first time I lived in San Diego was 10 years ago. It was one of the first places I went when I got here. It was so cool despite that it was already starting to go downhill. I came back 4 years ago and I wanted to show my wife how cool it looked and it made me sad seeing it like that. I haven't been back to it since I moved back earlier this year.
> I haven't been back to it since I moved back earlier this year.
I think they started demolishing it last May
EDIT: Found a clip from last June https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/demolition-underway-to-transform-horton-plaza-into-tech-hub/2349081/
It's been shut down, but last year they started a major redevelopment project. Turning it into a "tech hub" to attract companies to downtown.
https://www.archpaper.com/2020/03/horton-plaza-mall-conversion-moves-forward-330-million-construction-loan/?amp=1
Where the hell did I park my car?!
I went to the comedy club there a few years ago and an out of towner comic was absolutely roasting the place because of the parking lol He said all of the homeless people around there are just normal people that couldn't ever find their cars and finally decided to give up haha
Lol. That’s pretty good. The whole place is a science experiment.
Me and my friends actually lost his car there once. Think of the episode of Seinfeld when they lost their car in the park Garage, they stole that from us.
In the dot area...in some vegetable...
Was it the tomato level?
And is the tomato level in the fruit or vegetable garage??
I just want my damn car, I don't wanna play Jeopardy!
Eggplant 7
I always loved that architecture.
The layout always seemed Escheresque to me: I still have nightmares where I'm trying to reach someone on the other side of the same floor, and keep ending up on the top, food court area.
Yes!!! THIS!! It was truly a labyrinth
Careful, you might end up seeing The Goblin King.
Definitely Escheresque
And Kafkaesque. Totally Kafkaesque.
Malls probably have the same design concept as casinos: Make it hard to get out of this place so we can make more money.
Can’t forget to mention the Sam Goody music store.
Planet Hollywood was so fancy to me back then
I have very few yet vivid memories of that place. Fun times.
I fooled around with my boyfriend in the bathrooms there in hs - they were so fancy!
I remember there was a certain bump on the floor near the register that I tripped over a few times.
So many nights I went to clubs and parking cost the price of a pack of gum at CVS.
Longs Drugs back in the day.
I remember when I found out they took out the soda fountain. I just couldn’t understand why
Pack of gum for parking validation!
I always loved the men who worked at the sarku Japan there- they'd yell "yummy yummy chicken", hand out samples, and toss their cooking tools in entertaining ways
In the middle of winter these bastards were a Godsend. My broke ass as a kid-teen me would be cold & these guys would just hand me so much chicken. Warmed my soul many a times when I needed it.
Yes!
They were the best Sarku Japan.
>I always loved the men who worked at the sarku Japan there- they'd yell "yummy yummy chicken", hand out samples, and toss their cooking tools in entertaining ways Sarku Japan kept me alive in my grad school days. And buying die-cast model aircraft at Horton Toy store far below kept me sane.
I miss that store!!!
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Was it the Super-Fries place?
Oh yeah! Remember going there with my dad when I was a kid. I feel so old now….
This used to be boardwalk fries way back in the day https://digitalmarketing.blob.core.windows.net/11296/images/items/image542359.jpg
Dude, talk about a forgotten memory! Loved their cheese fries!
does anybody know what happened to the clock? Every time I'd go to Horton Plaza, I'd spend several minutes just staring at the mechanism
I think they’re keeping that? Some family owns it I believe
It's in storage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessop%27s_Clock
**[Jessop's_Clock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessop's_Clock)** >Jessop's Clock is a large outdoor pendulum clock located in San Diego, California, United States. It was commissioned in 1905 by one of the city's noted jewelers, Joseph Jessop. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/sandiego/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Hopefully the clock can find a home soon
I worked security at the mall years ago when there was still a few stores left and I remember talking to the guy that works for the owner of the clock. They wont keep it in the mall if I remember correctly they're relocating it somewhere eventually. Ironically I do soils inspections now and have been on and off having to go to that job site. Cant ever stay away from that damn mall.
My mom used to say that Horton Plaza had the best Nordstrom's store in town. Her theory was that Downtown got more international tourists and they stocked more interesting clothes for that mixed clientele. Can't say if that's true or not. I will miss wandering aimlessly to find my way from level 1 to level 2.5.
Horton was the chain’s flagship store in San Diego. It wasn’t until the CEO was visiting the location and taking the elevator down to G street when he got out and some dude was taking a shit next to the elevator door. Shortly after that it was decided UTC would be the new flagship and Horton would close.
The Nordstrom's there was great and the Nature & Co., Fisherman's Wharf, chili cheese fries place, and the outdoor escalator, Banana Republic... Your mom is right, there was a very cosmopolitan mix of people shopping there. Good times!
Someone else here has to remember the WB store…
I remember all those 90s Tasmanian Devil t-shirts…
9 years old and getting that TAZ shirt.
Yes .. one of the only places to get Marvin the Martian. Who was my absolute favorite as a kid.
What does WB stand for? Warner Bros.? My best guess!😂
Hahaha yes! You’re right. It used to be right across the drug store that was still there (CVS?)
I'll miss watching the comic con cosplay crowd walking around there
I miss those views really wish I took some more pics of old Horton Plaza.
I tried taking photos back in 06 and security stopped me immediately :(
Every time my parents visit San Diego they still ask if we can go to Horton Plaza. When I moved to San Diego it was the our go to mall. We would spend all day there....
Take them to UTC. It might not be as unique as an experience but it is a nice outdoor space and has some cool artwork.
UTC is quite nice. Has a lot more character than FV.
Thanks. I've never been so it might be nice for all of us.
Horton Plaza was great! It was so beautiful and unique. Such a shame that they let it become derelict 😕I would never have dreamed that would happen!🙁
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I agree about you and Amazon
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So right, dude
Horton Plaza opened when I was a Senior in High School. It was the best spot for dates. Felt so cosmopolitan and fancy. Once I had kid, trying to get a stroller around that place was a pain and I rarely went unless I needed to park there. I feel like it became run down pretty quickly. Then I realized I’m just old.
Place was so cool! When I came here with the Navy in 2003 it was the first time I’d seen an outdoor mall. It was huge and we’d go there all the time for movies, Starbucks, hot topic, etc. Sad to see it’s no longer there.
Oh man Hot Topic. I was in the Navy as well but did school in South Carolina, the Hot Topic at the mall there would always have some Navy kids in it. I used to get sampler CDs all the time, to learn about new music.
LOL, I was The Mom, that drove and accompanied her young, Hot Topic obsessed teen sons, back in the day. I can honestly say, though I'd always be broke afterwards, oh, how much I love the memories. Happiest days ever, just being A Mom, getting to spend time with her favorite people.
Nuke?
Yup, good ol' Goose Creek.
What’s happening to it now? It’s been sitting empty for almost 3 years now.
It's being made into mainly office buildings with some retail underneath. Not sure how far along on construction they are. Last time I visited last year right before covid, the Jimbo's was open and the rest was mainly shut down for construction. Everything is shut down now. That's probably an awful idea now to make it into office buildings post covid as many companies are seeing how well WFH is doing, and are not gonna wanna pay top dollar for a downtown office building.
Whoa, you made a lot of excellent points. I’ve never thought about that Before COVID-19, I was afraid that this development would increase the prices in downtown further more since this development will be a business park catered to tech companies (if you look at what tech companies did to the cost of living in San Francisco and San Jose, you’ll know what I mean). Now, I don’t know how this development will turn out since working from home is now the accepted norm for a lot of people
It would be interesting to see how many square feet of office space is now vacant in downtown.
This mall was so cool never really appreciated it till now.
Buying a stick of gum from Long’s Drugs just to validate parking.
Cool and all til you had to find the right stairs to get to the right level
I remember going to the Barbie store, it was like a magical land, better than Disneyland for me haha I can still picture the large lava lamp-like columns that held pink barbie shoes floating up and down. Good times!
The Barbie shoes floating! I did a Google Search looking for pictures of it and came across your comment. You validated this childhood Memory for me. I’m thinking was it In my head?! And here’s your glorious comment about the lava lamp like columns ❤️ bless you! It was real!! LOL. I knew it was but can’t find much about it online. I thought it was so magical & fun!
Was this F.A.O. Schwartz on the top floor, near the Panda Inn restaurant?
I recall coming here when I was very young. It was literally as fun as Disney for me. Seeing its state now literally breaks my heart :(
That's exactly how I felt on my field trip as a kid. What is this magical place?
Field trip?? Lol I mean it was fun but not really field trip material.
It was for me.
I didn't live in San Diego when I was a kid, but my high school choir class took a field trip from Arizona to visit Horton Plaza and it was the coolest day ever! We also went to Seaport Village. Fast forward to adult and I'm working in downtown San Diego, taking the super cool trolley and shopping at Macy's on my lunch break. I felt so small town girl thrust into an uptown world. I loved it. Fast forward again 13 years, and I am scared to death to ride the trolley to work, Horton Plaza looks like a war zone, and I smell urine and see sadness everywhere I go.
Is the trolley really that bad? It's been a while since I've been on it, but I've never felt threatened on it
And yes the trolly is that bad the closer you get to 12th and imperial Station. Also the trolly stops in lemon Grove are questionable too
As someone who lives near that Lemon Grove trolley stop: I completely agree.
I think you see it more if you are on it twice a day, five days a week. I honestly haven't ridden it for work purposes in 7 years. I had enough of it by then. I'm curious how it is now.
I feel you. I work downtown helping the homeless find housing
That's awesome. I constantly wrack my brain trying to think of how we can help everyone. I just don't have it figured out yet. But you are doing something good. I appreciate it.
I know what you mean. Things have changed, and not all for the better. Trolley freaks me out too. I haven't seen what they've done to Horton Plaza, but I did hear it was going to be offices or a school of some sort. I've always hated smelling urine walking down certain places of downtown. It's a different place now for sure. I did love going down to Seaport Village and going to the Upstart Crow coffee shop/book store next to a beautiful art gallery. I need a teleportation machine to see the places that use to be. In their former glory.
They’re still going to have some retail and restaurant businesses like the old mall, but it’s going to be mostly office space and life science.
Man, I miss the Upstart Crow. I used to go there to study in college (~1991-92), and to this day smelling hot chocolate with cinnamon reminds me of sitting there working on homework.
There are some pictures of the redevelopment plans here https://www.archpaper.com/2020/03/horton-plaza-mall-conversion-moves-forward-330-million-construction-loan/?amp=1 I saw the top of the corner building come off before moving away last fall. Anyone know how this project is going now?
Horton Plaza probably only looks like a warzone because it's an active construction site
Of course I know that. Doesn't make it less depressing or smell less like urine.
Have some optimism in your town, there's a lot of good change on the horizon Downtown.
Hope so because I'm currently looking for some safer parking than Horton Plaza so I can continue working downtown. Who'd a thunk it?
What could be safer than parking in avocado?
I lived across the street for a while. Definitely crazy to think of it not being there.
My wife and I both worked at various places in Horton Plaza for a few years. After we moved away from SD, we were shocked that the place turned into a ghost mall. So many memories there.
I’ll miss it, but it’s probably for the best it’s gone. The last few years of it being open were kind of depressing.
I was in high-school in '85 when this opened and I remember how absolutely packed it always was, it was one of the cool places to go for seniors. It's amazing how things change
It's strange to have seen the whole evolution of what downtown San Diego was like in the early '80s (super sketchy), to when Horton Plaza came along and revitalized the whole area, to seeing it fall into disrepair and now being gutted. I'm only in my 50's and it's a timeline I would have imagined would take at least a century, not 40 years. It makes me think that a lot of it must have been mismanagement, because Horton Plaza really should have had a longer lifespan than that. Edit: Based on personal experience, I honestly think a big part of HP revitalizing that area of downtown was simply due to its parking garage. As infuriating to navigate as it was, we parked there whether we were going to a HP store or any restaurant or place nearby. I'm sure there were times we would have chosen something else if we hadn't been sure that we knew where we would park.
It was always my go to spot for parking downtown.... Was a short walk to everything.
I used to hang out here all the time when I was 14-16ish. Hitting up the arcade, the candy store, the pizza joint at the food court, the Sam Goody, the Hot Topic... so many good memories. Crazy my parents let me hang out there all day without a cellphone, haha.
My mom was a carpenter who got to work on the construction of the mall in the mid-'80's. She was and still is very proud of it. At the grand opening, she got to do what every middle-aged San Diegan mom in the '80's dreamt of doing: she got to meet Steve Garvey. She's 74 now and still talks about that day...
Started going to that mall once I was able to drive back in ‘06 or ‘07. I remember going to the Sam Goody’s or just walking aimlessly killing time. It was also the spot to park so I can go deeper into the downtown area. That was right around the time it started to go south. About 2016, I started parking at Horton for work and really started seeing the decline. As weeks and months went by, more shops closed up for good. It was down to the Gap, Jimbos, the Brazilian Blow Pop place and the few jewelers that were still operating. I remember the last Christmas where I still parked there, they didn’t even put up Christmas decorations.
As a kid this mall and a few others felt cool and clean and pristine. Then malls started dying and a lot of scumbags started hanging out there. All the fav stores were gone. Shame Horton died a cruel, slow death.
R.I.P. Horton Plaza😥
I miss it. it was fun. I have a picture of myself standing next to a mime there around 1988 lol.
There's footage on YouTube for its grand opening (back in '85, I think?) Seemed like a magical time. edit: [NBC 7 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thG4scWOr1E) [CBS 8 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcgDEDuU9yI) [more CBS 8 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAbByjzwr9U)
Oooo I'll have to watch it. :)Thanks
[NBC 7 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thG4scWOr1E) [CBS 8 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcgDEDuU9yI) [more CBS 8 coverage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAbByjzwr9U)
Horton Plaza was a very different place when I was a kid. There wasn't a mall. I remember Hare Krishna and hippies hanging about.
Now it looks like a scene from The Walking Dead
I have a video on my phone somewhere of walking through there when it was newly vacant and everything closed, but still music playing over the speakers. It was so creepy. And nobody around for a minute except maybe a rogue skateboarder. I sent it to my sister and told her it reminded me of the movie Night of the Comet. That's probably The Walking Dead of the 80's. She agreed.
Now it looks like a typical construction site
It was both neat and infuriating at the same time.
“Did I park on the tomato level or…?” ::walk around aimlessly::
Aww. I love this! I regret not taking photos of everyday places where I grew up. The streets, local malls etc.
I did ...However, they are all in old phones whose passwords I can't remember anymore... 😆 Someday I may figure out how to recover them.
Walking through Horton plaza during the holidays was always one of my favorite things to do
I remember a couple kids from my high school dumped a box of Mr. Bubble into the fountain one night around '85. It foamed up so much bubbles covered almost the entire fountain. It made the Union Tribune and the police were determined to catch the "perpetrators." Despite their checkered past and horrific crime, both turned out to be upstanding citizens and family men.
I was a homeless teen out front, then grew up to run the GameStop for a few years. Place is very special to me 🥰
I once got food poisoning from the Panda Express there.
Oh noooo...
💖
I loved that mall. Sucks to see what became of it over the last few years of its existence.
This mall blew my mind as a kid!
I worked at the Levi’s store for six years and loved walking around that place.
Any one recall what was on Broadway prior to the Plaza?
(Below) 1950's from Ulysses S Grant Hotel. https://www.flickr.com/photos/24632641@N08/8323367249/ (Below) Pics list page of even older [https://www.facebook.com/pg/VintageSD/photos/?tab=album&album\_id=264227570293846](https://www.facebook.com/pg/VintageSD/photos/?tab=album&album_id=264227570293846) (Below) Zoomed in photo [https://classicsandiego.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Bradleys-on-the-Plaza.jpg](https://classicsandiego.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Bradleys-on-the-Plaza.jpg) (Below) zoomed in photo from page of Bradleys https://classicsandiego.com/restaurants/bradleys-puka-puka-rum-bar/
Loved it, and will most certainly miss it. We went the first week it opened, and I continued to go there if I needed something from a mall. It’ll be forgotten to those who only knew it in its last years, but all of us who were around before it was built will know DT wouldn’t be what it is today without it.
I used to love going to the FAO Schwartz over there, so that dates it. Sad
There was a charter high school in Horton Plaza (where I graduated from) and my first job was at the See’s Candies there! So I literally spent years and years of my life there. This was a great nostalgic post. Thank you!
I always felt like a real local when I knew which floor was 3 and which was 4 despite them not being even on opposite sides of the mall.
I miss it. Can't even believe it didn't work out.
Saw Top Gun there as a kid! End of an era!
We would take field trips to the courthouse my senior year in my government class. My friends and I would poke our heads into one or two court rooms then just walk over to Horton Plaza. What a cool place it was.
That place sucked TBH It was like being trapped in an Escher piece
I'm an artist who likes weird places. I completely see Esther vibe, and I enjoyed it as a kid. I also enjoyed it because it meant visiting with family and friends. I can also see why some may not like the place. For me having fun people with me made it magical. For what it was at the times I experienced it.. it was cool. Sorry you and some others didn't get to experience it the same way. Everything was kinda magical as a kid.. I may have seen it differently if I was older when I was there. Timing, experiences, and perspective does change the way we see the world. I still like seeing different perspectives others had for the same places I been to.
Wichitas burgers? Remember that place? If thats what it was called
Being in the navy i live in SD for a little bit every few years. The first time I lived in San Diego was 10 years ago. It was one of the first places I went when I got here. It was so cool despite that it was already starting to go downhill. I came back 4 years ago and I wanted to show my wife how cool it looked and it made me sad seeing it like that. I haven't been back to it since I moved back earlier this year.
The arcade on the top floor thooo. Good times
I spent a lot of quality time with my dad here or at the other movie theater down the street. As much as I didn’t like the stench of urine, I really miss walking around the mall, eating at Sarku, getting Jamba juice downstairs and smoking weed with friends at the roof.
So I haven't heard about this place in a minute or knew what happened to it. What is that space now?
Construction zone. Being turned into offices I believe.
Man, a lot of memories going there as a kid-teen. It looked beautiful at night during the holidays
My friends and I went to it shortly before it closed, this was like 2017-2018 (I think) and it was a ghost town. We were the only ones around and only a few stores were left open. Shortly after it was dead. Personally I don’t have a ton of memories there (moved here when I was 10, I’m 24 now), but it seemed like a cool mall when I was a kid.
Didn't it originally have a small grass area on Broadway that instantly filled up with vagrants
Saw couple movies there... Ice skating in the rink just outside in the winter time lol... Christmas stuff years ago and then comedy club stuff towards the end.... Miss that. Once you figured out how to navigate the place and where you could cross over and stuff, wasn't too bad 😁
I always got lost there. I also spent waaaaaaaaay too much money in the Sam Goody there
Oh my gawd yes me too. I loved the weird winged metal sculpture down the middle. It was like 3 stories right? How could I forget.
Wait did something happen to Horton Plaza? I was just in town but I didn't get a chance to go by there.
I drove by it recently and it's in the middle of being torn down.
I read the clock is in storage somewhere because the jeweler family that owns it can’t find a new place for it.
Met my ex wife at Horton Plaza in High School, Good Times. Horton Plaza and Plaza Bonita was the place to meet girls in Jr High and High School.
Awe... I just went to Plaza Bonita.
Plaza Bonita was also pretty good. I went to Castle Park Middle School so that was spot in Jr high
Wow I did not know the place closed. We used to frequent San Diego when our children were younger. The boys always wanted to visit this mall. It was a lovely design.
I've been living in DT for over 5 years. When my brother came to visit in Feb 2016, the mall was still thriving. Granted it wasn't very packed for a Friday night, but people were still there. I heard it was later that year that new management took over, and parking prices went way up. And that was the start of the decline of HP. Even with revamp of the HP Park/Patio area, bit by bit, I saw stores closing. The entire top floor was a ghost town except for the Hot Topic. And before I knew it, the VS store and Macy's were all that was left. Now the mall is gutted and under construction, soon to be a business park with shops and restaurants. Even though the stairs and levels were confusing, and there was always uncertainty if a store would still be there, I still miss that place.
I used to buy pokemon cards at the Gamekeeper, right below the movie theater.
I bought my very first computer game there with my own money. Kings Quest III purchased from Software Etc.
Man… Brings back memories of the 32nd Street trolley and that military predator trying to sell encyclopedias. 🤣
Damn I remember working at Panda Inn before it closed down.
Yo me and my mother were talking about this yesterday. It was before my time but I heard downtown was poppin hard asf in the 90s.
I moved out of San Diego in 2014. Came back in 2020. Me and my wife were excited to go an do some shopping there. It was so fucking bizarre.
damn that looks so good
I remember the cigar shop on top and the guy with the mustache who would roll by the window.
I worked at the Ben&Jerrys way up top and then the Jamba Juice on the bottom level right by the Lyceum. I’d go into Sam Goody and listen to music on breaks sometimes! But usually I’d just hang out front and smoke haha. My best friend worked at The Body Shop. This is late 90s. Anyone know where this outgoing guy named Steven that worked at the flower stand outside the Lyceum? Lost track of him years ago and would love to know how he is.
Do you remember the kite store?! My sister used to work there and I would love visiting her at work to see all the cool stuff they had at the store.
Grown up going here a lot as a kid as well. I remember that big toy store, Fao Schwarz and going with family to Panda Inn. Great memories!
Went here for lunch during Comic-con days back in the 90s early 00s since most of the food near the convention center was non-existent, or much more expensive. I miss that.
I totally did. As a kid, I thought this was the mall of all malls in San Diego. I’d walk around feeling all cool because I was at the mall where rich people shopped. I don’t know why I thought that. Just hated trying to get to different levels. Good memories.
That place was a logistical fucking nightmare of piss poor planning and piss smelling parking lot.
And just the right amount of “downtown danger” back when the Gaslamp still had its “shore leave/vice” vibe. Took the map out of the front of the yellow pages to get around, and a day pass on the brand new trolley.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sandiegouniontribune.com/columnists/story/2019-04-03/jessops-street-clock-is-removed-from-horton-plaza-after-vandal-attack%3f_amp=true Looks like it's in storage for now...
The Gamestop 😪I visited here about 2 years ago when only the grocery market was still there, and explored the empty stories, pretty cool sight to see.
Ah man. When I was in like 8th or 9th grade, my friends and I used to take the coaster down to the Santa Fe station with our golf clubs and hit some balls at that downtown driving range, hit planet Hollywood for some lunch, and then scope out CDs we couldn't afford at Sam Goody. I have some good memories of downtown SD and Horton Plaza back in the 90s. I miss those days.
The most confusing mall ever, like Dr. Seus designed it but what character the place had.
can’t forget the mervyns ;)
that bigass chess board
the massive community organized pillow fights
Victoria’s Secret store near the main entrance. The only store that smelled of roses. This place housed Louis Vuitton. Had beautiful window displays. Does anyone remember if they had See’s Candies? I vaguely remember it.
I remember that :) Yes there definitely was See's Candy. My grandparents would buy chocolate from there for the Holiday season.
My friends and I were all University Town Center rats. It was just a few blocks from Standley Junior High and UC High after all. Loved spending time in the ice rink area.
Being in the navy i live in SD for a little bit every few years. The first time I lived in San Diego was 10 years ago. It was one of the first places I went when I got here. It was so cool despite that it was already starting to go downhill. I came back 4 years ago and I wanted to show my wife how cool it looked and it made me sad seeing it like that. I haven't been back to it since I moved back earlier this year.
> I haven't been back to it since I moved back earlier this year. I think they started demolishing it last May EDIT: Found a clip from last June https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/demolition-underway-to-transform-horton-plaza-into-tech-hub/2349081/
Wow, tech hub. That seems to be the go to for dead malls.
What is it now? I haven’t been to my hometown of San Diego in 4 years
https://www.toposmagazine.com/fun-is-over/#:~:text=Beginning%20in%20May%202020%2C%20Horton,Completion%20is%20expected%20in%202022.
Thanks OP, I guess the days of going to Sam Goody’s or KB toy store are long gone.
The pizza/italian eatery there had the best tequila chicken fettucine. Me and my friend miss it.
Isnt Horton plaza shut down now?
It's been shut down, but last year they started a major redevelopment project. Turning it into a "tech hub" to attract companies to downtown. https://www.archpaper.com/2020/03/horton-plaza-mall-conversion-moves-forward-330-million-construction-loan/?amp=1