Robinson-Rose House and Visitor Center, San Diego

Robinson-Rose House and Visitor Center, San Diego

Facing Old Town Plaza, this house was Old San Diego's original commercial center, housing railroad offices, law offices, and the first newspaper press. A classic example of Victorian-style architecture, it is a fairly large size house when people tended to build small. Spend some time here and you'll find a large diorama of the 1872 Old Town (a fascinating look in to the past!), along with tourist information and numerous souvenirs.

James Robinson, formerly from Texas, came to San Diego in 1850 and became a well to do lawyer and businessman. Over time, he got involved in all aspects of the town's development and was quite successful as a lawyer who was known not to lose cases in court.

After his death in 1857, the building was used by a variety of local businesses like the San Diego Herald, Wells Fargo, and several other businesses. Sadly, it had fallen into disrepair over time, until the State rebuilt the location in 1989, and added it to the Historical Park as the Visitor Center. Admission is free.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in San Diego. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Robinson-Rose House and Visitor Center on Map

Sight Name: Robinson-Rose House and Visitor Center
Sight Location: San Diego, USA (See walking tours in San Diego)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in San Diego, California

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Old Town is the oldest settled area in San Diego which claims to be the first site visited by Europeans on the West Coast of modern United States.

The Native American culture in the area, however, goes back thousands of years. Historically, this land had been a home to the Kumeyaay people who settled on the banks of the San Diego river since around 1000 AD. The first European explorer to...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles

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