Old Town Market Beautiful retail shopping experience made up of three historic buildings dating back to the mid-1800s: Convent, Carriage house and the Casa De Aguirre. Enjoy over 40 unique shops with live entertainment!
Hours – 10am-9pm
Address – 4010 Twiggs St, San Diego, CA 92110
Phone – (619) 278-0955
Website – www.oldtownmarketsandiego.com
The Casa De Aguirre
In 1853, Don Jose Antonio Aguirre builds one of the first houses in Old Town San Diego, the Casa De Aguirre. Don Antonio was a wealthy merchant and a successful rancher. His ships traded mostly with Peru and China, exchanging San Diego cow hides and tallow for goods. While focusing his efforts in ranching, he became one the largest land owners in California. Since he was born in Spain in 1799, he was both a Mexican citizen and American citizen during his lifetime. Don Antonio was known as a charitable man, and one of his original charitable works still stands in Old Town San Diego. The Old Adobe Church located on Conde Street is where Don Antonio was buried in 1860. After his death, the Aguirre family donated the home and land to the Catholic Church. Father Ubach used the home first as a rectory and then as Saint Anthony’s Industrial School for Indians. After years of disrepair, the original structure was torn down in 1914. In 2002, Historic Tours of America reconstructed the building as you see it today; it includes a free museum with artifacts from an on-site archeological dig.
The Convent
Originally built as the Saint Joseph’s rectory at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Beech Street in downtown, the building was moved through the streets to Old Town San Diego in 1940. Once in Old Town San Diego, the building was a seminary, convent, community center, and, during World War II, it was a USO. The building was restored in 2003 by Historic Tours of America and is registered as San Diego Historical Site Number 323.
