San Diego has numerous well-known historic buildings scattered within the city limits. One of the more famous of the city's buildings is the US Grant Hotel. Not only historic for its name, it also is distinguished by its origins, owners and many visitors.
Alonzo Horton built the hotel, then named the Horton House, in 1870 as a three-story luxury hotel in the newly established town of San Diego. Horton bought land from the Kumeyaay Indians that eventually would become the location of downtown San Diego. The hotel was run by the Horton family until 1895, when it was purchased by Fannie Josephine Chaffee Grant, the wife of Ulysses Grant Jr. Grant Jr. was the son of famed Civil War general and President Ulysses S. Grant. The original hotel was demolished and a new building built next door; at this time it changed its name to US Grant in 1905, according to information published by the University of San Diego.
Baron Long was a hotelier and restaurateur who owned various restaurants and clubs starting in 1912 and would continue until his death in 1962. Baron Long assumed ownership of the hotel in 1919 and oversaw a renovation of the first floor, basement and addition of the 11th floor. The renovations were completed in 1927. The hotel underwent restoration during the 1956 tourism boon. Expanded meeting areas and modern rooms were added to the hotel at this time.
Hotelier Christopher Sickels leased the US Grant Hotel in 1979, then created the CDS Grant Corporation to acquire the hotel in 1983. In August 1982, the hotel was closed. A redevelopment project by the city was announced in 1985, and again the US Grant hotel took part in the revitalization efforts of the downtown area by adding a grand ballroom and grand lobby. The hotel reopened on Dec. 15, 1985.
A series of corporate owners have held the hotel property since the 1980s to current day. The original corporate owner, CDS Grant Corporation, was forced to sell the hotel in 1989 to Sansei U.S. Hotels because of financial problems. The Japanese-owned Sansei corporation then sold the hotel to Grand Heritage in 1993. Grand Heritage then sold the property to the Wyndham International Group in 2001.
The hotel was purchased by the Sycuan band of the Kumeyaay Indian tribe in 2003 and reopened as a Starwood Luxury Hotel in 2006. The Kumeyaay Indians, despite having sold the original 960 acres to Alonzo Horton more than a century ago, remained in the area. The tribe used funds from their casino operations to add the US Grant to their business.
The hotel has hosted numerous notables; including 14 U.S. presidents, starting with Woodrow Wilson and including John F. Kennedy up to George W. Bush. Charles Lindbergh, Albert Einstein and Mamie Eisenhower are among historic visitors. Actors have included Demi Moore, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
