SDCONDO

San Diego's first electric street lights were installed downtown in 1886, and trolley lines began operating in 1888, with over thirty-seven miles of track. Elegant office buildings dotted Fifth Avenue where the region's business occurred during the day. South of Market Street, however, several blocks of bawdy houses, gin joints, gambling halls and opium dens, known as the Stingaree district, provided the nightlife. The area today is part of the historic Gaslamp Quarter... The late 1890s ushered in a difficult period for San Diego. The city's struggling economy owed much of the following recovery to a wealthy businessman named John D. Spreckels, who made his fortune in his father's sugar business in Hawaii. Spreckels came to downtown in 1887 for a visit from his home in San Francisco. He made his visit permanent. In downtown, Spreckels was responsible for a great deal of growth. At one time, he owned most of the acreage south of Broadway. He purchased the streetcar system and changed..

Also known as: Lew Breeze