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Horton Plaza is a small (half a city block) city park in Downtown San Diego, California. The Broadway Fountain stands in the middle of the plaza. The plaza was designated a historical landmark by the City of San Diego on March 19, 1971.
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History
The area of the park was sold to the city of San Diego in 1895 by its namesake, Alonzo Horton. Originally, the plaza was intended for use by his guests staying at the Horton House Hotel.
The fountain in the middle of the plaza was designed by Irving Gill, which he modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. Louis J. Wilde, banker and part-owner of the U. S. Grant Hotel, donated $10,000 to help build the fountain, which was completed in 1910. The engraving on the frieze reads "Broadway Fountain for the People."
Cold weather in January 1913 caused the water in the fountain to freeze, an event rare in the region. San Diegans visited the fountain and stood on the thick ice.
On November 2, 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy spoke at Horton Plaza to make a last-minute appeal for votes just six days before the 1960 Presidential Election.
In 2012 the city undertook a major renovation of the 1.4-acre (0.57 ha) plaza area into an urban park and public gathering place called Horton Plaza Park. The operators of the adjacent Westfield Horton Plaza shopping center partnered with the city in the renovation and will manage and schedule the park. The plaza will host scheduled events such as concerts, movie screenings, and celebrations. The restored Gill fountain is the centerpiece of the plaza, which also has an amphitheater, an interactive pop-jet fountain, and light sculptures. The park opened in May 2016.
Geography
The plaza is bordered to the north by Broadway Ave and the U.S. Grant Hotel, former site of the Horton House Hotel. Flanking the east and west are 4th and 3rd Avenues, respectively. Immediately to the south is the Westfield Horton Plaza shopping mall.