Tom Hom

The first time I went through Fifth Avenue Downtown, which I can only vaguely remember, I was 3 years old. Led by my mother, we were going to the Marston Department Store to buy me a pair of shoes. That was 78 years ago.

Today, I still walk through Fifth Avenue regularly, as I have done throughout my life. It is now known as the Gaslamp Quarter, but that wasn’t always so. This part of Fifth Avenue was once the spinal cord of San Diego, the hub of business, social and governmental activities. It was the center of influence and heartbeat of San Diego.

Most urban districts in America go through 90- to 100-year phases involving four or five generations of residents. The first are pioneers; the second, planners and builders, the third, make it better; the fourth live it to the fullest and the fifth preside over the deterioration. This part of Fifth Avenue went all the way through that cycle, starting with William Heath Davis as the pioneer in the mid-19th century.

In 1972, when I left elective office, having served on the San Diego City Council and the state Assembly, I was approached by several business and property owners asking me how we could save some of our historic buildings and revitalize today’s Gaslamp. My family also owned property and business in the area, so my interest was personal. At that time, the area was known as the SOB, or South of Broadway, with lots of honky tonk saloons, X-rated movie houses, porno shops, card rooms, street walkers and the homeless.

When I was asked for ideas to save and revitalize the area, I thought of the time when I was on the City Council. With the help of Old Town property owners, we created a protected district to save the historic buildings. In so doing, other improvements seemed to naturally follow. New community pride emerged, businesses spruced up storefronts, streets got cleaner, crime went down and so on. Today, historic Old Town is part of the state park system and is one of San Diego’s main attractions.

Back then I wondered to myself, “What if we could create a historic district in this part of Fifth Avenue, the same way we did in Old Town?” I also thought of the success of the revitalized historic areas of Gastown in Vancouver and Pioneer Square in Seattle. Finally in 1972 the Gaslamp Quarter Association was created. We circulated a petition of property owners to create the historic district, originally started with six blocks. As interest spread, it was expanded to 12 blocks and today to 16 1/2 blocks. We presented the petition to the City Council in 1973 and were referred to the Planning Department for evaluation. After several months of feasibility studies and evaluations, the City Council adopted the Gaslamp Quarter Planned District Ordinance.

Not all the business and property owners favored the ordinance. Some preferred that Barbary Coast-type of surrounding. Others thought it was too huge a task. Their attitude was, “It’s hopeless. What’s the use of trying?”

To make real change, association members agreed we needed to become more active on the grassroots level by actually getting involved. I recall my late wife, Dorothy, walking into the X-rated stores and diplomatically talking to the owners about removing the risqué and erotic pictures from their front windows. She also asked them to curtain or paint their windows so the inside of their stores could not be seen from the outside. Within three months all of them complied.

Association members in coats and ties and ladies in high heels would work in teams, walking Fifth Avenue, picking up wine bottles, debris and such to put into public trash bins. This created the public awareness that we believed in the revitalization program. Within a year, a poll showed more than 90 percent of the people in the city supported the goals of the Gaslamp Quarter Association.

One of the things that helped in bringing people together in the district and citywide was the creation of our own newspaper through an independent contractor. The Gaslamp Gazette came out bi-weekly and told about historic happenings of the past, goals of the association and news on businesses opening. It was quite popular. Like all newspapers, it needed advertising. The first issue was almost the last. When ads were first solicited, the biggest response was from the X-rated shops. When all the articles and ads were turned over to the printers, the final result was that 75 percent of the ads were for X-rated shops. The embarrassing thing about this was the mayor’s call after reading the Gaslamp Gazette. The mayor wanted to know whether the X-rated establishments were financing and promoting the Gaslamp movement. I assured the mayor’s office that they were not. Such embarrassment!

Prior to the next issue, Dorothy again spoke to the X-rated shop owners. But this time, it was about NOT advertising in the Gazette. She explained it created an image problem that worked against our goals. The shop owners were cooperative and all agreed to refrain from advertising with us thereafter.

Gaslamp Quarter is a huge success today. People from all over the country are still inquiring as to the formula for its success. I think it is a combination of many factors. First, the 90-100 years factor. Second, you need a strong grassroots organization because government can only do so much. The thing to remember is that government is too big and cumbersome — it reacts, rather than acts. That’s why the grassroots level is so important. Grassroots involvement provides the initial creative input. Creating projects like Gaslamp thrived with the cooperation of the private and public sector. Third, like any challenging undertaking, leaders need to accept changes in leadership. New leadership, with the same goals in mind, will bring in new and more innovative approaches to achieving these goals. Gaslamp has gone through many of these leadership changes and always for the best.

I am happy to say, due to the diligence of the property owners, business people, historic preservationists and the city of San Diego, along with many old time leaders and newcomers, San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter has become an iconic example of a successful revitalization program. Today it is known internationally and is often the gathering place for local people as well as visitors.

The founding president of the Gaslamp Quarter Association in 1972, Tom Hom served on the San Diego City Council from 1962 to 1968.