Thomas Whaley came to California during the Gold Rush. He opened his first general store in the San Fransisco area, selling hardware, tools, and firearms. After arson destroyed his buildings in 1851, Thomas Whaley relocated to Old Town, San Diego. He purchased a lot on the corner of San Diego Ave and Harney Street in September of 1855 and built a single- story grainery the following year. In 1856, Whaley began construction of an adjacent two-story Greek Revival style brick home of his own design. Thomas Whaley proclaimed, "My new house, when completed, will be the handsomest, most comfortable, and the most convenient place in town or within 150 miles of here," Upon completion in 1857, the home was acclaimed as the "finest new brick block in Southern California" by the San Diego Herald, and cost the impressive sum of 10,000. Whaley partnered with the Deputy County Clerk and the Chief of Police to expand the building into one of San Diego's earliest courthouses. Along with a general s...