Discover Columbia

Santa Fe Depot

The Santa Fe Depot was designed by San Francisco architects Bakewell & Brown. The design reflects the Colonial Spanish and Mission history of California. The depot opened in time for the 1915 Panama-California International Exposition and its architectural style was intended to harmonize with the Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings of the exposition. It was completed during a particularly optimistic period in the City's development and represents the battle waged by the City of San Diego to become the West Coast terminus of the Santa Fe Railways' transcontinental railroad. The fight was ultimately lost to the City of Los Angeles.

Today, this historic depot is a vibrant transportation center providing connections to Amtrak, the Coaster, and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System trolley and bus system. The Santa Fe Depot is the third busiest Amtrak station in California (behind only Los Angeles Union Station and Sacramento Valley Station) and the 10th busiest in the nation.

"Pacific Soul"

The "Pacific Soul" was created by internationally renowned artist, Jaume Plensa. The Barcelona-based sculptor is responsible for works such as "Echo," the 44-foot high head of a girl that towers over New York's Madison Square Park.

Installed in 2018, the 25-foot stainless steel sculpture depicts a person made of characters in eight different alphabets: Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and Hindi. The letters are elongated at the base, giving them an appearance of roots. The artwork, which took over a year to fabricate, is painted in brilliant white to reflect the West Coast light.

San Diego Gas & Electric Co.

In January 1921, SDG&E purchased a power plant from the San Diego Electric Railway Company. Located at Kettner Boulevard and E Street, the plant was renamed Station B and by 1938 had the capacity to carry the entire electric load of the city.

Today, the former power plant forms the base of the 43-story Electra residential high-rise building completed in 2008. Until 2014, Electra was the tallest residential high-rise building in San Diego with a height of 475 feet.

One America Plaza

As the tallest building in San Diego, One America Plaza dominates the skyline with its 34-story, 500-foot stature. The distinctive obelisk-shaped tower was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects and KMA Architecture. This design was inspired by a German Romanesque style that was heavily used in the 19th century. One America Plaza was purchased in 2006 by the real estate development firm Irvine Company for $300 million.

America Plaza Station

America Plaza Station currently serves as the northern terminus for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System's Blue Line trolley. When the Mid-Coast extension is completed in late 2021, the Blue Line will continue north to serve new stations between American Plaza Station and University City, including the main campus of UC San Diego. Connections to the Green and Orange trolleys, numerous bus routes, the Coaster, and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner are just a short walk.

To learn more about transit options in and around downtown San Diego via bus, rail, and trolley, visit the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System website  here . If you need or want to get someplace in San Diego or beyond, the American Plaza Station is a great place to start.

"Mission of Masterpiece"

The " Mission to Masterpiece " mosaic was composed of 30 ceramic tiles mounted on 4-sided columns. It was created by Betsy Schulz in 2009 and tells the story of San Diego's history from 1867 to 1916. Betsy Schulz is famous for these creative designs and has provided services to many municipalities, schools, nonprofits, businesses, and private entities for more than 20 years.

Museum of Contemporary Art

In January 2007, MCASD opened two Richard Gluckman-designed buildings and comissioned site-specific works by Jenny Holzer, Richard Serra, and Roman de Salvo. The museum resides in the former Santa Fe Depot baggage building, which was built in 1916.

The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building features light-filled galleries and large spaces suitable for the presentation of large-scale installations and site-specific works. The David C. Copley Building includes the Berglund Room for lectures and programs, Woods Terrace for events, and the Betlach Family Foundation Education Room for hands-on, interactive art activities. To learn more about the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, visit  mcasd.org .

"Everything You Can Imagine is Real" Mural

This 200-foot long mural by San Diego artist Stephanie Bales was inspired by Pablo Picasso's quote, "Everything you can imagine is real," which exemplifies the diversity, creativity, and optimism found in San Diego.

Living in San Diego is like living in a daydream. In San Diego, you can expect the morning sun to greet you with its warm, bright rays before the sky turns that perfect shade of blue, and then sets in a kaleidoscope of color, guaranteeing to end your day with an even greater amount of brilliance than it started with.

The geometric shapes found in the mural represent stained glass windows and the structured gates along the wall are translated as literal, foundational window frames. Through the window panes are the brilliant colors of the sky when viewed over the course of the day.

The mural is a representation of this visual journey, a form of perceptualism that aligns with the state of daydreaming - staring up at the sky, out of a window, or into space - and the feeling one has when in it. Limitless. Boundless. Unhurried. The artist hopes the mural inspires hope and endless possibilities.

Music Box

The  Music Box  is a premier concert venue and event space in Downtown San Diego. The venue often features a diverse array of talented performers, including nationally recognized artists, local legends, and up and coming acts. The venue is a tri-level space that boasts audiophile-quality acoustics, locally sourced menus, and spacious floor plans. With a capacity of more than 700 people, you are guaranteed to enjoy a full concert experience. Be sure to check their schedule for a list of upcoming events.

Karl Strauss Brewing Co.

Before Karl Strauss opened its doors, the craft beer scene in San Diego was nothing like it is today. Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner made it their mission to bring local, handcrafted beer back to San Diego, hence the creation of Karl Strauss. On February 2, 1989, the  Karl Strauss Brewing Company  officially opened in Downtown San Diego and kicked off the region's now thriving craft beer scene. Today, San Diego is known around the world as a beer lovers haven largely because of the success of the Karl Strauss Brewing Company.

The Guild Hotel

This six-story building was designed by architects Lincoln Rogers and Frank W. Stevenson and was constructed with funds collected during a fundraising campaign in 1924. San Diego was rapidly becoming a major military city in the years during and post-World War I. The YMCA project was launched as a way to serve the growing Army, Navy, and Marine Corps presence. Naval supply ships and offices for recreational facilities were concentrated at the foot of Broadway - only to expand even more over the next 20 years through World War II. In the 1970s, the Navy presence shifted elsewhere and Lower Broadway was redeveloped with high-rise commercial offices, hotels, and condo towers. The building was renovated and renamed the Guild Hotel in 2019.

Emerald Plaza

 Emerald Plaza  was built in 1990 for $150 million. It consists of a steel frame structure with an exterior combination of granite panels and reflective glass set in a custom Kynar green aluminum window framing system. The structure itself is balanced on a 9-foot-deep concrete block, which acts as a floating device, allowing the building to ebb and flow, mimicking the movement of water. This incredible feat of engineering allows the building to be one of the most stable structures in San Diego. The building's hexagonal design allows for the maximum number of guestrooms and offices with views. This design utilizes angled window sills, which reflect ambient sunlight into the building, reducing the amount of lighting needed.

San Diego Central Courthouse

The new San Diego Central Courthouse opened in June 2017 at a cost of $555 million. It was designed and built by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and was the largest and most expensive courthouse in the state when it was finished. The new Superior Court of California San Diego consolidates San Diego County’s criminal trial, family, civil, and probate courts into a 24-story downtown tower.

The first four levels of the courthouse support high volume functions of the court, including arraignment courts, misdemeanor courts, offices, and a 500-person jury assembly hall. On its exterior, the courthouse features a distinctive soffit at its crown. With shaped aluminum panel sections, the soffit shades the building during the morning hours. It also captures and dynamically reflects southern and western light back onto the underside of the structure's surface. Both practical and symbolic, this luminous design feature celebrates the San Diego skyline.

With its angular, monolithic form topped with a distinguishing canopy structure that shades its east façade, the courthouse is among the City's most distinctive buildings. Shaped aluminum panels form the soffit for the canopy and are arranged to capture and reflect southern and western light back onto the underside of the structure’s surface. This design feature gives the courthouse a bold civic identity within the skyline and “celebrates the unique light of San Diego,” say its designers.