{"id":241640,"date":"2020-02-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/utility-box-art-provides-glimpse-into-history-of-the-gaslamp-quarter\/"},"modified":"2020-02-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-07T08:00:00","slug":"utility-box-art-provides-glimpse-into-history-of-the-gaslamp-quarter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/utility-box-art-provides-glimpse-into-history-of-the-gaslamp-quarter\/","title":{"rendered":"Utility box art provides glimpse into history of the Gaslamp Quarter"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0 LANA HARRISON | Downtown San Diego Partnership<\/p>\n

On the southwest corner of Fifth and G streets in the bustling heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, is a small piece of history.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a utility box, just one among a few in a recently completed project in the Gaslamp Quarter called \u201cGaslamp Did You Know?\u201d<\/p>\n

While the utility box itself isn\u2019t particularly old, its modern wrapped fa\u00e7ade chronicles a bit of the intersection\u2019s history from nearly 150 years ago.<\/p>\n

In 2019, diners move in and out of the building, ready for a night out in Downtown\u2019s famous entertainment district. In 1874, occupying that corner of the block was a bank. And over the next couple decades, it would house the city library, the police department, and the mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cGaslamp Did You Know?\u201d is part of an ongoing effort by the Downtown San Diego Partnership to enhance the pedestrian experience in our urban core through visual storytelling.<\/p>\n

\"Utility<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Clean and Safe program works with each neighborhood to create projects that not only beautify our Downtown streetscapes, but also foster positive and memorable experiences that our unique to that neighborhood,\u201d said Sean Warner, director of Community Enhancement for the Partnership. \u201cWe\u2019ve already seen the \u2018Gaslamp Did You Know?\u2019 utility boxes spark curiosity and delight in passersby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the past couple of years, the organization partnered with Jason Gould and a network of artists through his North Park-based art studio, Visual, to paint utility boxes in the Columbia District, City Center, and Marina with colors and themes that reflect the Downtown vibe.<\/p>\n

The Gaslamp Quarter presented a unique opportunity to highlight the neighborhood\u2019s long and varied history through a collaboration with the Gaslamp Quarter Association (GQA), Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation (GQHA), and a local design studio with an office in the community, A7D Creative Group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe GQHF is proud to have partnered on this innovative project that highlights the architecture and people that helped make modern day San Diego,\u201d said Rhiannon Luna, executive director of the GQHA. \u201cThe historic images wrapped onto the utility boxes are a great way to engage the public and entice them to learn more by visiting the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation and taking a guided walking tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using images from the San Diego History Center, so far, five boxes along Broadway and Market Street have received this retro makeover, with another batch slated for installation in 2020 on Fourth and Sixth avenues.<\/p>\n

In addition to the box on Fifth and G, casual passersby and curious lay historians can discover Wyatt Earp, a gambling hall operator and prospector from the 19th century, on Fifth and E, or check out the Yuma Building on Fifth and Market. According to GQHA, this building was one of the first brick buildings in Downtown San Diego.<\/p>\n

\"Utility<\/p>\n

Two other boxes, each with their own fascinating history lessons, are located on Fifth and Broadway, and Fifth and F.<\/p>\n

According to Liddell, communications manager for GQA, the idea here is that while visitors, employees, and residents partake in the neighborhood\u2019s many restaurants, bars and shopping options, they can also get a glimpse of how the streets they tread and the buildings they encounter have changed over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project not only helps tell the story of the Gaslamp Quarter\u2019s remarkable history, but also enhances the pedestrian experience for those who visit our thriving entertainment district throughout the year,\u201d Liddell said. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to see people, whether they are visiting the Gaslamp Quarter for the first time or are regular patrons, interacting with these creatively refurbished utility boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lana Harrison was the communications coordinator for the Downtown San Diego Partnership.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0 LANA HARRISON | Downtown San Diego Partnership On the southwest corner of Fifth and G streets in the bustling heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, is a small piece of history.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1243,"featured_media":241641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Utility box art provides glimpse into history of the Gaslamp Quarter","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11600,11550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-241640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-sdnews","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1243"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}