Horton Plaza Mall San Diego: What Happened and Where to Shop Now

Horton Plaza is no longer a shopping mall. The colorful open-air center in downtown San Diego emptied out between 2016 and 2020, a plan to turn it into an office campus called the Campus at Horton collapsed into foreclosure in 2025, and the lender now owns the mostly vacant buildings. Horton Plaza Park, the public plaza and historic fountain on Broadway, is still there. For shopping, head to the Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village or Fashion Valley.

What Horton Plaza was

Horton Plaza opened on August 9, 1985, at the edge of the Gaslamp Quarter. Architect Jon Jerde designed it as a five-level open-air maze of ramps, bridges and stairways painted in bright pinks, oranges and yellows. It looked nothing like a typical American mall, and it worked. It was an immediate financial success and drew a large share of its shoppers from tourists. If you’re searching for “pink Horton Plaza,” that’s the look people remember.

Westfield bought it in 1998 and renamed it Westfield Horton Plaza. For years it was downtown’s main shopping stop, with department-store anchors and a movie theater. The stores people still search for, including its jewelers, have all closed or moved.

How the mall closed

The decline came in stages, according to Horton Plaza’s history:

• 2016: Nordstrom closed.
• August 2018: Stockdale Capital Partners bought the mall for $175 million, planning to convert it into offices and retail.
• February 2019: The cinema closed.
• Summer 2019: Most remaining stores had closed.
• April 2020: Macy’s, the last anchor, closed.

During construction, the bridges over the central courtyard were removed, which took away much of the mall’s original look.

The Campus at Horton and the 2025 foreclosure

Stockdale’s plan, the Campus at Horton, called for about 700,000 square feet of offices and about 300,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and entertainment space. It first targeted tech tenants, then switched to life science in 2020. The former Nordstrom building was fitted with wet labs, but the expected tenants never came. A plan for the City of San Diego to lease the space as a new City Hall was also dropped.

The project then fell apart:

• February 2025: A notice of default was filed on the loan.
• June 2025: A court appointed a receiver to take control of the property.
• August 18, 2025: A foreclosure auction drew no bidders. The lender, AllianceBernstein, took the property with a credit bid of about $130 million. Bisnow reported that Stockdale owed about $384 million including fees and interest.

Contractors have filed liens and several lawsuits are pending. One fitness tenant sued to recover its build-out costs. Some promised improvements to the neighboring park were also left unfinished.

What’s there in late 2026

In the latest reporting we could confirm, the former mall buildings were vacant and the garage was being used only as paid parking. Ideas floated for the site include waiting for the office market to recover, a public-private partnership with the city, shifting to housing or hotels, or selling off parts of the site. None had been announced as a firm plan. The Downtown San Diego Partnership and the Prebys Foundation are also working on a wider Civic Center redevelopment plan, which could shape what happens to Horton.

If you remember the mall from an earlier trip, the change can be a surprise: the block is still there, but the stores, food court buzz and crowds are not. If you’re visiting now, treat the old mall as something to walk past, not a destination. Don’t plan on shopping, eating or catching a movie inside, and don’t count on parking validation. That ended with the mall.

Horton Plaza Park: still worth a stop

Horton Plaza Park is a separate, city-owned public plaza on Broadway, next to the old mall. Its history goes back much further than the mall. The plaza dates to 1910, and its centerpiece is the Broadway Fountain, designed by Irving Gill and completed the same year. Its frieze reads “Broadway Fountain for the People.”

The park was rebuilt and reopened in May 2016. It has an amphitheater, an interactive pop-jet fountain that kids run through, eight color-changing light sculptures and small food pavilions. It’s a good place to sit for a few minutes between the Gaslamp Quarter and the Trolley stops on Broadway.

Since the 2025 foreclosure, it hasn’t always been clear who runs the park’s programming. Before planning around a concert, holiday event or market there, check the City of San Diego and local event listings.

The Lyceum Theatre

Searches for “Horton Plaza theater” usually mean either the old movie theater, which closed in 2019, or the Lyceum Theatre, a city-owned live theater below the plaza. San Diego Repertory Theatre was the Lyceum’s resident company from 1986, but it canceled its remaining productions and laid off its staff in June 2022. The venue has hosted other arts groups over the years. Check current listings before you assume a show is on.

Where to shop downtown now

Downtown San Diego doesn’t have an enclosed mall anymore. Here’s where to go instead, depending on what you want.

Gaslamp Quarter and East Village

The Gaslamp Quarter starts at the old mall’s doorstep. Its historic streets mix independent boutiques and gift shops with a lot of bars and restaurants, and it’s best explored on foot. East Village, next door, adds more local shops.

Seaport Village

Seaport Village is a waterfront cluster of small shops and casual restaurants on the bay, within walking distance of the Gaslamp. It’s the closest thing to a tourist shopping center downtown, with gifts, toys, art and snacks rather than big chains. A long-term redevelopment has been in planning for years, so check what’s open before you go.

Fashion Valley (by Trolley)

For department stores and a full mall, take the Trolley’s Green Line from downtown to Fashion Valley Transit Center, at the southwest corner of the mall in Mission Valley. It’s the easiest car-free way to reach a big shopping center from a downtown hotel. Check the mall’s own site for current hours and stores.

Other options

• Little Italy, north of downtown, has small boutiques and cafes.
• Balboa Park museum shops are good for gifts, especially design and art books. Pair a visit with the Balboa Park gardens.
• Old Town has souvenir and craft shops near the state historic park.

Getting there and parking

The old Horton Plaza block sits on Broadway at the edge of the Gaslamp Quarter, with Horton Plaza Park on the Broadway side. Downtown Trolley and bus stops along Broadway are a short walk away.

If you drive, the old Horton garage was operating as paid parking in late 2025, and there are other public garages around the Gaslamp. Check posted rates. Coming from the airport, the MTS Route 992 bus or a short rideshare gets you downtown in about 15 minutes. See our San Diego airport guide.

Is it worth visiting?

For shopping, no. The mall is gone. For a short stop, yes: the Broadway Fountain and Horton Plaza Park are a pleasant break on a Gaslamp walk, and the old mall is an interesting reminder of 1980s San Diego. Spend the rest of your shopping time in the Gaslamp, at Seaport Village or at Fashion Valley.