Madonna Inn
Alex Madonna was born outside San Luis Obispo on Nov. 19, 1918, and grew up working on ranches with his family. He started his construction company in 1935 while he was still in high school. He and his wife, Phyllis, met at a diner and were married within months in Las Vegas. The Madonna Inn, designed and built by Alex and decorated by Phyllis, opened as a motel inn with twelve rooms on December 24, 1958. More rooms were added incrementally and construction of the main inn with shops and dining areas started in April 1960. In May 1966, the Inn’s original units were burned to the ground. It reopened a year later and, by the end of the decade, all of the rooms had been rebuilt. The Madonna Inn now boasts 110 rooms, each decorated with a unique theme. In a 1975 interview, Alex said, “I want people to come in with a smile and leave with a smile. It’s fun.”
San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt