The Old Mission Dam and Spanish-era aqueduct system, built between 1807 and 1810, brought water from the San Diego River down through Mission Gorge.
Branching off the path of this widely known aqueduct was an extension, more of a ditch really, that brought water to the mission’s orchard trees in the area just east of a bend in the river.
Fast-forward 80 years.
William H. Holabird had been a Union brevet colonel in the Civil War, and he knew there was a proposal to build a large veterans home in either San Francisco or Los Angeles. Flush with cash from his successful development of University Heights, he saw no reason San Diego shouldn’t also be considered.
He went to work to create a competing proposal.
In 1887, he joined Charles J. Fox and partners, who had just organized the Junipero Land and Water Company. O.S. Hubbell, E.S. Chase, and a man named Howard were also among the original directors. There was also S.S. Powers, a local real estate investor and stockholder.
The Junipero Land and Water Company repurposed the Spanish era infrastructure to bring water to the 1,500-lot townsite originally called Orchard.
Going from Orchard to Grantville
With Holabird’s influence, the name soon changed to Grantville in honor of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and included a proposal for a disabled veterans home.
San Diego was thought to be home to 2,000 Civil War veterans (20 of whom were Confederate veterans). The men were late for the contest.
By November 1887, proposals in San Francisco and multiple proposals in Los Angeles were being reviewed by decision makers from the Board of Trade. San Diego’s proposal was the last one considered.
When members from the board of trade arrived by train in San Diego and Grantville, Los Angeles-based press reports of the day made it seem as though the decision had already been made. In early December, it was announced that the proposal from Santa Monica had won.
The Grantville housing project, failing to get larger sponsorship, and a nationwide depression from 1882-1885, still affecting the southern California real estate market, finally turned boom to bust.
Today, very little of the original plan for Grantville remains. The north-south roads were named after the founders of Grantville, the east-west roads for Civil War era heroes.
From the river going east, there was Powers (now Fairmount Ave.), and Howard (now Riverdale St.), Hubbell (now Mission Gorge Rd.), Holabird St. remains, but Chase is gone (now Crawford St.).
Holabird St. was originally bisected by Grant Circle, the 20-acre gardens that were to be the highlight center of the town. Today, Grant Circle is the present site of Kaiser and Von’s.
Zion Ave. was likely named for its associations with a holy place for peaceful rest. Going south from there was Lincoln after the U.S. President (later named Olympic Ave. and now the front door to Kaiser), Logan after Major General John A. Logan (now Orcutt Ave.), Sherman after Major General William Tecumseh Sherman (now Ranier Ave.), and Sheridan after Major General Philip Sheridan (now Glacier Ave.)
Vandever Ave. after Brevet Major General William Vandever remains, but not Hancock Ave. after Major General Winfield Scott Hancock (now Twain), and Heintzelman Ave. after Major General Samuel P. Heintzelman is gone too (now the driveway entrance to JT’s Tavern).
More about land use and planning can be found at the Navajo Community Planning Group website or the Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council’s site.
Hence then, the article about a grantville story if these streets could talk was published today ( ) and is available on Times of San Diego ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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