San Diego’s founding father, Alonzo Erastus Horton, wanted Horton Plaza to provide a central, commodious and attractive place for public purpose; where all public questions might be discussed with comfort, open-air concerts might be given, people might rest, and children might play in safety.
Back in the early- to mid-1870s, the park was on a small, barren plot of land across the street from the Horton House Hotel. The focal point of the plot was a bandstand on D St. (now Broadway), between Third and Fourth avenues that served as a place to get news of pending railroad projects.
In August 1895, Horton turned the bandstand over to the City to create a more fitting park. It took until 1909 for architect Irving Gill’s Horton Plaza Park and Fountain to be completed. Over time, the pocket park fell from grace, and then came back into the spotlight in 1985 with the construction of Horton Plaza Shopping Center. At that time, the historic park was also renovated to replace the grass and benches with shrubbery in an effort to deter loitering. In 2008, water conservation efforts led to the fountain being shut off and a fence erected around the fountain.
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http://sandiegodowntownnews.com/reviving-horton-plaza/
