The tallest building in downtown SLO is wrapped in blue. What’s happening?
A huge facade of blue greets visitors to downtown San Luis Obispo these days as the city’s tallest building undergoes a massive renovation.
The Anderson Hotel building — which when measured to the tip of its bell tower, stands at a whopping 90 feet — is being renovated after the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo bought the 101-year-old former hotel several years ago.
The historic building, located at 955 Monterey St., was built in 1923.
In its early days, it was known for hosting celebrities like actors Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich. Then in 1978, the building was repurposed into an apartment complex for elderly and disabled residents.
According to director of construction and development Michael Burke, HASLO bought the building in 2022 to preserve its 66 affordable units that were available to low-income individuals.
The units were available for residents who earn between 30% to 40% of the area median income, he said.
Renovation work on the property began in March 2023 and includes “seismic retrofitting, energy upgrades, accessibility updates, fire life safety updates, ground-level updates to the storefront system, some electrical and plumbing upgrades and various aesthetic upgrades,” Burke said.
All of the building’s residents were relocated to locations around the county ahead of the renovation and have been offered the right to return once the work is completed, Burke said.
The building was wrapped in a blue scaffolding so that ongoing window replacement work would not be impacted by the weather, he said. A large portion of the sidewalk surrounding two sides of the structure was also blocked off from pedestrian access.
Burke said the renovation was about 64% complete as of Wednesday and is expected to be finished by September.
“We consider the Anderson Hotel to be a true community project, preserving the history and affordable housing units, and greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of our neighbors as we work to complete construction,” HASLO executive director Scott Collins told The Tribune.
The project was possible due to funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, Congressman Salud Carbajal’s office and the city and county of San Luis Obispo.
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