05/31/2026
This elegant arched entry once welcomed San Diegans into one of the city’s most sophisticated dry goods stores - Marston's, of course!
The massive stonework, striped window treatments, gleaming display windows, and electric lighting reflected the growing confidence of downtown San Diego in 1896, when Marston's new store opened at 5th and C Streets.
Through the entrance you could glimpse the richly appointed sales floor beyond: a world of polished wood fixtures, glass cases, imported goods, and fashionable merchandise that helped establish Marston’s as the city’s premier department store. We can hardly wait to step inside!
The horses at the curb remind us just how different daily life was during the second Cleveland administration, even as stores like Marston’s represented the beginning of modern retail culture in Southern California.
Like its predecessor at Fifth and F Streets, this remarkable Marston's building still stands and remains part of downtown San Diego’s architectural heritage, a rare surviving link to the city’s early commercial history.
Colorized image from a 1897 promotional booklet for Marston’s newly opened store.
