Where Sunset Meets History

There’s a magic hour in Golden Hill when the setting sun catches the ornate gingerbread trim of a Victorian mansion, casting long shadows across B Street’s historic corridor. It’s in these moments that you can almost hear the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages and imagine the neighborhood as it was in 1890—San Diego’s most fashionable address, home to mayors and merchants, doctors and dreamers.

Development of the land began in 1869, just south of what would become Balboa Park. The area was subdivided into large lots with views of the bay and ocean. It soon became San Diego’s most fashionable neighborhood and home to the city’s movers and shakers.

Today, Golden Hill stands as one of San Diego’s most architecturally diverse neighborhoods, but its Victorian legacy remains its crown jewel.

The Birth of Golden Hill

The story begins with vision and timing. In 1887, local developers Daniel Schuyler and Erastus Bartlett spearheaded a campaign to officially name the neighborhood east of downtown “Golden Hill,” due to the manner in which the sun glinted across the hill at dusk.

But the real catalyst for development was the 1885 arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad. Development in Golden Hill remained at a standstill until Southern California experienced a period of unprecedented economic growth in the late 1880s. Upon the completion of the highly anticipated California Southern Railroad in 1885, San Diego was connected to the transcontinental Santa Fe line at its hub in Barstow.

The railroad didn’t just bring people to San Diego—it brought the right kind of people. Wealthy Easterners and Midwesterners, many of whom had made fortunes in the post-Civil War boom, began looking west for new opportunities and more comfortable climates.

Victorian Grandeur Takes Root

Beginning in 1895, many of San Diego’s most prominent citizens, including doctors, lawyers, businessmen and politicians, purchased lots and constructed homes within Golden Hill Addition. What they built reflected the architectural sensibilities of the Gilded Age.

The majority of the early homes in Golden Hill were styled in accordance with Victorian principles. These homes embodied many of the character-defining features of Victorian residential architecture, including irregular floor plans; wrap-around porches; steeply pitched, gabled roofs; and richly embellished façades.

The crown jewel of this era was the Quartermass-Wilde House, built in 1896 at Broadway and 24th Street. A very large Queen Anne/Classical Revival, one of the first and largest of its kind in Golden Hill. Built for Reuben Quartermaster, a department store owner, it sports a four-story circular tower with a domed top and curved glass windows. The home was so advanced for its time that it featured “the first shower in San Diego County.”

Architecture as Social Statement

Victorian architecture in Golden Hill wasn’t just about aesthetics—it was about social positioning. Wealth and social status were concentrated atop the crest of the hill, but the middle class constructed more modest Victorian homes along the planning area’s western slope.

The architectural variety was stunning. You can expect to see a variety of styles: Victorian, classical revival, Craftsman, Mission Style, California bungalow, “oriental” influence, Swiss chalet, Tudor, Art Deco, postmodern contemporary, and eclectic mixtures of various styles. This diversity reflected what one historic designation report called “a certain American confusion of taste.”

The Neighborhoods That Victorian Built

Golden Hill’s Victorian legacy extends beyond individual homes to the broader pattern of San Diego’s development. You’ll see the most Victorians in areas like Golden Hill, Sherman Heights, National City, Coronado, and Bankers Hill, although many of those have been turned into offices.

Each neighborhood developed its own character within the Victorian tradition. Sherman Heights became famous for the Villa Montezuma, a Moorish Queen Anne fantasy that was branded by Victorian historians Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen “one of the most artistically designed home museums in the country.”

Challenges and Preservation

Victorian homes, for all their grandeur, faced practical challenges in San Diego’s climate and economy. Marshall warns that wooden facades require more painting than stucco houses, and there’s also the possibility of termites and dry rot. “That’s why stucco became more popular. It’s a lot lower maintenance.”

By the 1960s, many Victorian homes had fallen into disrepair or been demolished for “progress.” Only a very few, particularly in San Diego’s Sherman Heights, Banker’s Hill, and National City areas, were lovingly maintained by their succession of owners and sheltered from major remodeling jobs throughout the years.

Fortunately, preservation efforts gained momentum in the late 1960s. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that San Diegans became very interested in preserving the remaining Queen Annes, Carpenter Gothics, and Italianate homes in their midst.

Golden Hill Today: A Renaissance Continues

Today, Golden Hill is experiencing what many call a renaissance. Since the long period of divestment in the last century, many changes are presently unfolding for the betterment of Greater Golden Hill. Namely “What’s old, is new again”. Walkability and neighborhoods with old world charm are in high demand.

The neighborhood’s Victorian heritage is central to this revival. Even having to restore it should be cheaper than buying something new, and thanks to the Mills Act, property taxes on a registered landmark home are up to 70 percent lower—you just have to assume the responsibility of upkeep.

Walking the Victorian Streets

To truly appreciate Golden Hill’s Victorian legacy, nothing beats a walking tour. Start at the Quartermass-Wilde House (now housing law offices), then wander down B Street toward 25th Street. Along the way, you’ll see the full spectrum of Victorian styles—from modest cottages with simple gingerbread trim to elaborate Queen Anne mansions with wraparound porches and bay windows.

Pay attention to the details that make each home unique: the intricate woodwork around windows and doors, the variety of shingle patterns, the creative use of color to highlight architectural features. These details reflect not just architectural fashion, but the individual personalities of the families who built them.

The Victorian Legacy

Golden Hill’s Victorian homes represent more than just architectural history—they embody a moment when San Diego transformed from frontier town to modern city. The families who built these homes were part of the generation that established San Diego’s banks, newspapers, schools, and civic institutions.

Their homes, with their emphasis on craftsmanship, permanence, and beauty, reflected their confidence in San Diego’s future. Today, as new generations discover the charm of these historic neighborhoods, that confidence seems remarkably prescient.

In an age of rapid change and disposable architecture, Golden Hill’s Victorian homes remind us that some things are worth preserving—not just for their beauty, but for the stories they tell about who we were and who we aspired to become.