News 8 Throwback: Horton Plaza mall's grand opening in San Diego

[@edwinruskinnordrikeparker2666]

Oh man, the mall I used to go to as a kid... 😢

[@LaRonBennett]

Me too I would leave school at Theodore Roosevelt Middle school and then go straight to Horton Plaza

[@thomasthetankengine0156]

Who would've known 34 year's ago Horton plaza would look Dead?

[@ohiodemocraticpartydisabil6760]

Wow Im old enough now to remember before the Mall was there as I was stationed in marines 1979-1985 Now I just heard that the mall closed down 3 years ago.

[@MrGatoka]

Aaaaaaaaaaaand now it’s dead.

[@Roy52202]

Quienes la inauguraron y quien planeó el proyecto se ha de estar retorciendo en su tumba

[@Izzy-ly7vi]

Now it’s closed for good

[@jeaimewhite9667]

I remember when it opened, it was such a cool place. There was a lot to see and do.

[@grungeboy619]

These throwbacks are dope, keep'em coming. 100

[@THX-kw2jh]

RIP: Horton Plaza

[@helenmaycrochet8411]

so sad!

[@williamsmith1609]

I remember in 93 when Planet Hollywood was added. Stallone,Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis were at the grand opening... good times.😁😁

[@patr70]

Rosanne Barr was also there 😁

[@DiogenesOfCa]

So many cars lost in the "fruit" parking structure, memories.......

[@deaddropsd1972]

I got lost there all the time. Confusing as hell. 😂

[@BossChronicles]

How times have changed lol

[@D0ndiegoo]

i am time traveling right now

[@eriklutz1254]

The main anchors in 1984/85 when it opened were Robinsons, The Broadway, Nordstrom, and Mervyns. Sad to see it turn into this, but it was a confusing parking layout. What a fun place to explore though and always something happening there.

[@deaddropsd1972]

Thanks to Jesse A !!! 1 pepper 2 carrot 🥕 3 tomato 🍅 4 avocado 🥑 5 corn 🌽 2 grape 🍇 3 watermelon 🍉 5 strawberry 🍓 6 orange 🍊

[@thelightofthebodyispineal7137]

I loved Horton Plaza! Women's Clothing Stores for Business wear: Casual Corner, Macy’s and Dillards. My favorite candy store “The Candy Barrel which special made my orders of “Double dipped in Fudge Granny Smith Apples” and all the “candies from childhood”; Warner Brothers’ letter’s man’s jacket for elementary school kids and my favorite Cartoon memorabilia; the New Gap for Kids with sturdy clothes, sun dresses and hats; jeans , tops and roller backpacks (luggage). Also My Favorite Barb b Q Restaurant “Wichita Kansas” ...that recipe had childhood memories served with homemade childhood mustard potatoes salad and Root Beer. My Favorite Mexican Food from La Salsa (street Tacos and Grilled Chicken Nachos with Black Beans along with extra Double Scoops of Guacamole and pico de Gallo; Marie Calendar’s Spaghetti with Pumpkin pie fir desert...another bottle of Root beer! Mother’s Cookies Chocolate Chip with Pecans, were there too For desert!! This experience was happiness coupled with the Movie Theater, The Trolley, The Coaster rides.. Beaches, The connections to Metro-link Los Angeles. Sea Port Village Shops! San Diego Greatness! Back in the Day!

[@AntonioCristerna]

Great memories. Historical video ❤️👍

[@celticsanster]

2 memories: The proposal for HP started out as more of a regular shopping mall. My parents owned three stores in other San Diego Malls and were approached by the developers in the early 80s to see if they were interested in having a store at HP. The anchor stores were to be along the lines of Montgomery Ward and Sears. My parents declined, in part because of the seediness of downtown San Diego. The other memory is of working the opening night glitterati party for HP. My role was minor, checking in people over by Nordstrom’s, and then they released us to join the party. People were beyond drunk, it was crazy. Lots of free champagne. Imagine afterward when everyone forgot where they parked at once! I never visited HP again without thinking about San Diego’s inebriated elite and the chaos of those weird parking garages. I ended up sleeping in my car in the garage rather than be on the road that night.

[@eriklutz1254]

For the longest time, you parked on a level that was a fruit or a vegetable at this mall. Lol

[@smeag9280]

Crazy how it was insanely packed on the weekends at one time, but now a ghost town. I remember Sam Goody’s, Wet Seal, Contempo, Boudin, and The Nature Store.

[@paolitna28]

So sad :(.

[@richardlomeli9310]

I worked at Brookstone in 1997 Thumbs up if you were a customer

[@patr70]

I remember that store. Can you imagine how expensive the things sold in that store would be today? What was $50 in 1997 is now $200.

[@stand4truth44]

I do remember the; GRAND OPENING!!

[@Mlogan11]

How apropos that one of the people interviewed said they were going to buy "cabbage patch dolls", a popular fad that eventually died out...much like the Plaza.

[@joelonzello4189]

People were flying to England to buy cabbage patch dolls because of shortage here I remember

[@SouthCalifas619]

Who would've thought that 34 years later, hipsters that would move into the surrounding area would have killed this mall

[@spacedye2001]

SouthCalifas619 The mall was dead way before any hipsters moved to the area.

[@JJw3K]

@@spacedye2001 Mainly the homeless though. Besides it's history

[@spacedye2001]

Bw019Ks Will The homeless were a major problem. The parking and the mall layout were also terrible. It was impossible to walk directly from one side of the mall to the other. The series of stairs and catwalks that one had to traverse was frustrating.

[@JJw3K]

@@spacedye2001 I could imagine

[@spacedye2001]

Bw019Ks Will www.curbed.com/2019/6/5/18652340/horton-plaza-san-diego-postmodern-jerde The photos in this article show how wacky the mall layout was.

[@vietpir]

It is and the City of San Diego is planning to make a big change by 2020 according to KPBS.

[@flashsonic45789]

So sad they closed it down now 😕

[@ivanhoesanchez2606]

WOOOW

[@vietpir]

Is there a downtown San Diego “then & now” you can do?

[@deaddropsd1972]

It’s the cycle of life and business...

[@risbackup6079]

The mall started Doing in 2016 1. Nordstrom closed 2. Planet Hollywood and SamGody attached so many busines

[@chenydeniz3594]

I was there and i didn t like it

[@roachtoasties]

Did that "great visionary," Pete Wilson, also predict the mall would collapse, be a home for vagrants, until it was eventually closed long after it should have been.

[@romansroad2007]

Yes like it was in the beginning of the planning times in 1976 years

[@bensaret]

Demolished today

[@Izzy-ly7vi]

Now it’s closed for good

[@tamesabine]

As I moved away from SD 11 years ago, I had no idea about this. What happened?

[@twitchykun]

Horton Plaza's being renovated to an office plaza, and I think condos. Towards the end it really fell into disrepair.

[@vinjulieann1]

Being demolished now.

[@ConnorRB]

Sad now it's getting torn down and converted to a tech hub place

[@6galaxy]

Didn't last long.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

I guess people found cheaper bargains down at the malls in Tijuana...Plaza Rio, anyone?

[@Squeakypickles619]

There was absolutely no need to have gotten rid of it The whole mall was a magical landmark now san diego looks like gotham with tweakers and lame brewerys and crappy architecture The future absolutely sucks.

[@geecee7600]

I remember the big hoopla about it's opening though I wouldn't be into the mall scene for a few more years. Too bad about its demise. Guess us old patrons stopped going there and there was nothing enticing for the newer millennial patrons. Kids nowadays don't go to malls to try and meet new people; they just meet them (or should I say "add") through mutual acquaintances on social media.

[@EstradaRamon]

Im glas i took advantage getting drunk in the bathrooms and security hallways lol

[@clovesd]

RETAIL WEATHER

[@Millerfamily34]

No wonder why this mall failed. Ridiculous opening day. How much taxpayers' money was wasted on hiring all those stupid performers.

[@brianb.8295]

Are you implying that Horton Plaza's grand opening week with performers and everything of the like in 1985 caused it to fail 30 years later? If yes, I'd like to know what you're smoking.

[@williamsmith1609]

I bet you're fun at parties...NOT!!

[@ballsmahoney8684]

Dude, what’s with everyone crying over a fucking mall closing? Don’t worry, there’s plenty of places to buy shit. I can’t wait until Amazon can send drones to my house and I’ll never have to deal with parking and shit ever again.

[@eriklutz1254]

You don't get it. This was a mall that was different than others back in the day. In the early 80's downtown SD was not a good area. This revitalized downtown during that time. The shopping wasn't the attraction. The mall was because it was unique.