SLO’s towering Anderson Hotel opened nearly a century ago. What was it like?
The relentlessly self-promotional San Luis Obispo Telegram had the tag line in 1922, “Nearly everybody reads the Telegram.”
The big news nearly everybody wanted to read in May 1922 was the construction of the Anderson Hotel at 955 Monterey St. At five stories, it was the tallest building in San Luis Obispo for many years.
The building, which now houses apartments for low-income residents managed by the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo, is in the process of being sold. That’s prompted concerns about some tenants and HASLO leaders that the Anderson could be repurposed by developers.
Photos from the Vault has written previously about the Anderson Hotel’s namesake, Jeff L. Anderson, and his colorful memories of early San Luis Obispo. One time, a man galloped horseback off the end of the Avila Beach pier.
A century ago, the United States was experiencing rapid change as automobiles replaced horses and buggies and movies and phonograph records brought big-town entertainment to rural hinterlands.
In the May 17, 1922, San Luis Obispo Telegram was an ad for the Betty Compson movie “The Law and the Woman.”
The ad said:
“The Law — That blindly ground an innocent man in the dust.
“The woman — who fought for him, dared for him, lifted him up.
“The story — filled with a hundred thrills and the lure of lovely Betty Compson.”
A front-page photo showed U.S. Marines marching in modern-day Beijing, then known as Peking, to guard the United States legation as China’s civil war flared.
In Los Angeles, members of the Ku Klux Klan were worried that they might lose jobs if the district attorney shared the names on membership rolls revealed in grand jury proceedings.
The price of a fully equipped, high-grade Chevrolet coupé was $850. Buicks started at $1,089 apiece.
A bottle of Orange Crush soda cost 5 cents. And dance records such as “Georgia Foxtrot” by Carl Fenton’s Orchestra retailed for 75 cents.
But the giant new hotel in downtown San Luis Obispo was the primarily subject of interest, inspiring a May 17, 1922, Telegram article. The Tribune wrote about the hotel nearly a year later, in a July 31, 1923, story.
Anderson to build July 1st
Hotel Lobby and Grill on First Floor with Rest of Lower Floor to Be Occupied by Store Rooms
First Unit of 150-Room Hotel to Be of Reinforced Concrete and five Stories in Height.
A five-story reinforced concrete building, to cost between $175,000 and $200,000 when furnished, is to be erected at the corner of Monterey and Morro streets by J. L Anderson. Work is to start July 1. Workmen began a few days ago to wreck the frame structures on the ground which is sixty feet on Monterey street and 125 on Morro. Wrecking started with the room formerly occupied by J. P. Hildenbrand’s shoe repair shop and that occupied by the Newell soft drink establishment. A. S. Paiva, barber, is expected to vacate about the first of June, as will the fruit store on the corner of Monterey and Aston, photographer, and Jim’s bootblack stand. New building will extend up Monterey to Rowan’s.
Plans for the new building received this morning by Mr. Anderson from Architect C. A. Muessendorffer of San Francisco are but tentative and subject to change, but Mr. Anderson has so far completed his arrangements for the erection of the building that announcement is authorized by him today that the building will be erected.
First unit of the building will contain ninety-five modern hotel rooms, each with a bath. As soon as business justifies Mr. Anderson proposes to build an annex fronting on Monterey street which will have an additional sixty rooms, making a hundred and fifty room structure in all.
The lower floor will have a grill room and a large, comfortably furnished lobby. It is proposed to have a part of the lower floor constructed for rental purposes as modern store buildings.
Mr. Anderson has received a number of applications to lease the hotel, as he does not plan to conduct it himself, but so far no lease has been given.
A number of applications have also been received for the rental of the store rooms which are to occupy a part of the ground floor.
Anderson Hotel opening marks epoch in city
Marking an epoch in the development of the city of San Luis Obispo, the Anderson Hotel was formerly opened last night with a dinner-dance and entertainment which will ever remain In the memories of those who attended as one of the most enjoyable affairs in the social history of this city.
Over three hundred people were present to dine and dance and congratulate J. L. Anderson on the materialization of his dreamed-of wish which was first conceived years ago.
As the guests approached the imposing five-story structure on the corner of Monterey and Morro street, they were greeted with the sight of many lights softly gleaming from half-curtained windows in the hotel where but a years ago stood a few old buildings. A blazing electric sign on the corner of the building flashed its message to the world that San Luis Obispo had taken another forward step with the completion of a hostelry which, while not the largest, is the equal in quality of any hotel on the Pacific Coast.
The hotel lobby, elegant in its simplicity, was filled with beautiful bouquets and floral pieces bearing messages of good wishes to the man who erected the hotel as evidence of his faith In the future of his home city.
Shortly after 7 o’clock the guests were seated in the banquet room and neatly dressed waitresses began serving the first course of the excellent dinner with quietness and dispatch which evidenced the able managership of Ben J. Bears, who will conduct the Anderson Hotel grill.
In the time that followed the diners were entertained with musical selections by Jack Dughl’s orchestra and violin and vocal solos rendered by Miss Olive Reed of San Francisco and Mrs. Alvin Kaiser of this city, both of who were accompanied on the piano by Mrs. Harold Anderson. Mrs. Kaiser, whose voice is more than appreciated in this city, charmed her audience with her bell-like tones. The three artists responded to encore after encore from their delighted admirers.
The glassy hardwood dancing floor was crowded with couples throughout the evening who gave audible evidence of their appreciation of the floor and the music.
Early yesterday morning guests began to arrive and continued throughout the day until by night practically all of the rooms had been reserved. Many local people are included among those who will be the first to sleep in the new hotel.
When the doors were first opened to the public at 8 o’clock yesterday morning, John W. Barneberg, president of the local branch of the Pacific-South West Trust & Savings Bank, signed the register as the first guest of the hotel, followed by Mrs. Barneberg. Mr. Anderson, acting as clerk, handed Mr. Barneberg the pen and accepted his check.
This story was originally published January 16, 2021 at 5:05 AM.
