Westfield Horton Plaza, not to be confused with its adjacent namesake Horton Plaza, is a five-level outdoor shopping mall located in downtown San Diego known for its bright colors, architectural tricks, and odd spatial rhythms. It stands on 6.5 city blocks adjacent to the city's historic Gaslamp Quarter. It was the first successful downtown retail center since the rise of suburban shopping centers decades earlier. The only anchor store is Macy's. Nordstrom closed in 2016, leaving a vacant anchor store. Specialty shops include: Aldo, Forever 21, Johnston and Murphy, Claire's, Gymboree, and Victoria's Secret.
Video Westfield Horton Plaza
History
1970s
A 1972 proposal for the shopping center and a redevelopment district arose out of plans to "refurbish San Diego's historic town plaza", Horton Plaza. Due to numerous setbacks and resistance from preservation groups, construction did not begin until 1982. The plaza is named for Alonzo Horton, who was largely responsible for the location of downtown San Diego.
1980s - 1990s
Horton Plaza was the $140 million centerpiece of a downtown redevelopment project run by The Hahn Company, and is the first example of architect Jon Jerde's so-called "experience architecture". When it opened in August 1985, it was a risky and radical departure from the standard paradigm of mall design. Its mismatched levels, long one-way ramps, sudden dropoffs, dramatic parapets, shadowy colonnades, cul-de-sacs, and brightly painted facades create an architectural experience in dramatic contrast to the conventional wisdom of mall management. Conventional malls are designed to reduce ambient sources of psychological arousal, so the customers' attention is directed towards merchandise. By making the mall an attraction in itself, Jerde stood this model on its head.
Jerde's project was based on Ray Bradbury's essay "The Aesthetics of Lostness". In it he extolled the virtues of getting "safely lost" as adults inspired by side streets of Paris, London, or New York.
Horton Plaza was an instant financial success and while some credited it for revitalizing downtown San Diego, others said the revitalization benefitted the mall.
When originally built, the center housed the historic Jessop's Clock, built in 1907, which formerly stood on a sidewalk in front of the Jessop and Sons jewelry store in Downtown San Diego.
Weeks after the malls opening in 1985 a man committed suicide by jumping from a third story walkway in the mall. In what was the first of five suicides to occur over the malls history.
In 1998 the owners of the mall sold it to the Westfield Group, now the Westfield Corporation.
2010s - Now
On January 11, 2011, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved a plan to raze the former Robinsons-May building on the north side of the mall to make way for a 37,000 square feet (3,400 m2) urban park, effectively enlarging the adjacent, historic Horton Plaza and Broadway Fountain. Westfield partnered with the city to renovate and restore the area into an urban park and public gathering place called Horton Plaza Park. Westfield agreed to operate the park and schedule events, which could include concerts, movie screenings, and celebrations. Horton Plaza Park will have a 53,000 square foot venue, a Cabrill hitheater, an interactive pop-jet fountain and 23 foot tall color-changing statues. The new Horton Plaza Park had its grand opening on May 4, 2016.
In 2012 Westfield said it would not renew the lease on the Jessop's Clock and gave its owners (descendants of the clock's builder Joseph Jessop) six months to find a new location for it. However, the heirs had trouble finding an appropriate location, and as of 2016 the clock is still at Westfield Horton Plaza.
In 2013 armed police descended on the mall after receiving a tip that fugitive Christopher Dorner was spotted in the mall. One man was arrested by police, though it later was revealed to be a case of mistaken identity.
June 24, 2016 Nordstrom announces closing of Horton Plaza store on August 26, 2016, Leaving one anchor (Macy's) left in the mall.
On November 22, 2016 a local woman who had previously been reported as suicidal shot herself in the middle of the crowded mall after leading police on a chase.
In July 2017 a shooting occurred at the mall in which an active duty Navy man was killed and cousin wounded after getting into a confrontation with another man. Just three days after this incident another man committed suicide by jumping from the plazas balcony in an unrelated incident.
Maps Westfield Horton Plaza
References
External links
- Official website
- an evolution of the shopping mall urban form, with pictures of Horton Plaza
- Information on Horton Neighborhood
- Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Horton Plaza, San Diego, CA
Source of article : Wikipedia
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