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OLD TOWN
Look up the hill from Old Town, you'll see a familiar San Diego landmark, the Junipero Serra Museum, built in 1929. The trademark white adobe walls with red-tile roofs define Old Town's Spanish heritage; the arches along the walkway and the proud tower hint at holy uses. Father Serra, who founded many of the missions, was known for his compassion with the Indians, his firm stance with the military, and for being San Diego's founding father.
The Serra Museum and its mission-style architecture commemorate San Diego's Hispanic period (1542-1846) and the beginning of Spain's push to settle its claimed territory. Serra chose a site for the fort on a hill (now Presidio Hill) overlooking the river and the bay. The mission was built within the protective stockade walls of the fort or "presidio," built in a square, and provided accommodations for the military party. With the mission at its center, the presidio was a fortified settlement — and a point of origin for the town of San Diego.
The mission did not prosper at its original site, however, and the presidio was eventually abandoned. Father Serra moved the mission five miles up the river, but during construction, distrust between the soldiers and the natives grew into a rebellion, killing a Padre. It would be another three years, 1777, before the mission was rededicated as Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, situated nearby, off I-8.
But the fort on the hill grew, and by 1820 residents moved down the hill. The commander of the Presidio built the first home in what is now Old Town, retired soldiers and their families soon followed, and by 1829, 30 houses were built around a central public square, called a plaza by the Mexicans who planned the town. It was the social hub of San Diego, with fiestas, bullfights, executions...and an accepted custom where chaperoned single women could seek and be seen by potential suitors.
By 1835 Old Town growth merited "pueblo" status under Mexican rule, including political power and land grants. Meanwhile, the presidio and its dwindling garrison fell into disrepair. Soon the exposed adobe walls were reduced to hills of mud, vandalism was rampant, and Old Town's 140 residents lost their status. The next 40 years saw industry prosper and the population of Old Town grow, until 1871, when, amid controversy, the hub of local government and commerce was moved downtown. A fire in 1872 finished the job, wiping out the heart of commercial Old Town.
In 1968, six blocks of Old Town, including the plaza, were set as Old Town State Historic Park. Today, visitors to Old Town will find well-preserved haciendas, Spanish homes, and historic landmarks. With its 20 reconstructed or restored buildings set on 13 dusty acres centered around a town square, Old Town combines Mexican, Spanish, and Old Western style. Contributing to its year-round festivities: three dozen restaurants, a playhouse, museums, plus colorful artwork, crafts, and costumes. On weekends and warm-weather holidays, everyone — tourists and locals alike -- turn out to celebrate, sipping margaritas in courtyards amidst the strolling mariachi bands and Mexican folk dancers.
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