SoCal Landmarks

SoCal Landmarks

A Photography Project

U.S. Grant Hotel, San Diego, San Diego County

U.S. Grant Hotel

Fannie Chaffee Grant purchased the Horton House in 1895 and decided to tear it down in 1905. Her husband, Ulysses S. Grant Jr. (son of President Grant), oversaw the building of the U.S. Grant Hotel, named after his father, in its place. Architect Harrison Albright designed the hotel combining Academic Revival, Neo-Classical and Beaux-Arts features in a “Mannerist” design. The nine-story structure, constructed entirely of steel and concrete, was one of the earliest skyscrapers in San Diego. The hotel opened on October 15, 1910, and quickly became a major meeting place for civic clubs and the scene for social and political activities. The hotel was refurbished in the 1980s. In 2003, the hotel was purchased by the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation as a tribute to the contributions of the former US President to the Native American community during his presidency. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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San Diego, San Diego County
Photographer: John Bare