Construction began on U.S. Grant Hotel in 1906

On this day in 1906, construction began on the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. The $1.9 million hotel was erected by Ulysses S. Grant Jr., on the site formerly occupied by downtown founder Alonzo E. Horton’s historic Horton House.

Ulysses S. Grant Jr. was the son of the 18th president of the United States, and the hotel was named for his father.

In a profile of the planned construction published in The San Diego Union on Jan. 1, 1906, the newspaper noted: “The hotel will be nine stories in height and cover a ground space of 200 by 200 feet. It will be by far the largest building in San Diego and would be a credit to any city in the country.”

After nearly f ive years of construction, the U.S. Grant opened its doors to the public on Oct. 15, 1910. From The Evening Tribune, Friday, Jan. 5, 1906:

FIRST SHOVELFUL OF DIRT TURNED TODAY TOMORROW EXCAVATION WORK WILL BE COMMENCED ON GRANT HOTEL— M.D. GOODBODY GIVEN $9500 CONTRACT

This afternoon the first shovelful of dirt was turned on the construction work of the new Grant hotel. Shortly after the noon hour Horace G. Low, accompanied by a number of well known business men, journeyed to the corner of Fourth and D streets, and with few preliminaries Mr. Low grabbed a shovel, sank it into the earth and in true day laborer style, removed the first shovelful of earth.

Last evening the contract for the excavation work of the new hotel was awarded to M.D. Goodbody, the well known San Diego contractor, by U.S. Grant Jr. It was announced some days ago that the contract for the work had been awarded to Mr. Hooker, but for several reasons the contract was re-awarded yesterday to Mr. Goodbody.

There is probably no contractor south of Los Angeles who is in a better position to handle the work than Mr. Goodbody. He has all the facilities for doing work of the kind and in the shortest possible time. Work will be commenced in earnest tomorrow morning and, until the time the contract is completed. Mr. Goodbody will have about thirty teams at work every working day in the week.

By the provisions of the contract Mr. Goodbody is to have the excavation work completed by the first of April. He takes the risk of bad weather and agrees to forfeit $100 for every day after the first of April that the contract is not completed.

This morning the contract between Mr. Grant and Mr. Goodbody was filed at the office of the county recorder. The contract shows that Mr. Goodbody has agreed to do the work for a price of $9500. The ground to be excavated is 200x200 feet and is from Third to Fourth street on D street. For the most part the site for the new hotel is to be excavated to a depth of twelve feet, although a considerable portion will be excavated to a depth of sixteen feet. To insure his carrying out the terms of the contract. Mr. Goodbody this morning filed a bond in the sum of $2500, Charles W. Pauly and Horace G. Low being named as the sureties.