1887 Time Capsule

The Livingston House was built during the great boom of 1887-1888 when the population of San Diego rose from sixteen thousand to forty thousand and the value of land often doubled in the space of a few hours. The house cost five thousand dollars to build. The quarter block of land which originally surrounded it in Sherman Heights cost (an inflated) sixty-five hundred dollars.

In 1887, the President of the United States of America was Grover Cleveland. There was no Vice President. A loaf of bread cost 2¢ and with 17¢ you could purchase a gallon of milk. Top songs for that year were A Night on Bald Mountain, Minuet in G, Comrades, If You Love Me Darling..., La Cinquantaine, Slavonic Dances, Away in the Manger, and Pictures at an Exhibition.

This old mansion was the kind of place that immediately attracted attention, admiration and wonder. It was finished in July of 1887 for Mrs. Harriet Morris Livingston, and stood on a hill with sweeping views of San Diego, the Bay, and Mexico.