San Luis Obispo County CA Archives Photo Place.....Hotel Marre, Port San Luis 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 26, 2006, 8:19 pm

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THE HOTEL MARRE Port San Luis

History and Description:

Prior to the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad Coast Route in 1901,
the major and easiest means of transportation along the Pacific Coast were the
Coastal Steamers.  San Luis Obispo Bay was ideally located as a stop for these
steamers, and a number of wharves were built.

The last and most successful of these general cargo wharves was built by John
Harford between 1871 and 1874. It is the only one still in existence, and was
originally connected to the flats of San Luis Creek by a narrow-gauge
horse-drawn and gravity railroad. The other wharves on the bay were built in
later years and for other purposes.

In 1876 a steam railroad between the wharf and San Luis Obispo was opened and by
this time the Ocean Hotel, catering to steamship passengers waiting for delayed
ships or trains, had been built on the edge of the wharf. Also intended as a
resort it lost money until it was sold to two Italian settlers, Mr. Luigi Marre
and Mr. Gagliardo.  Through their efforts it became a well-known and popular
resort noted for fine Italian food and pleasant surroundings. They renamed it
the Hotel Marre.

On Sept. 19, 1934, the hotel burned to the ground and was not rebuilt.  It is
probable that it was already out of business at the time of the fire due to the
decline of steamer traffic and most passenger traffic on the railroad.  I was,
however, unable to find out when the hotel closed.

Today the wharf is part of a small public recreation area and fishing port.  It
has been rebuilt, the curved entrance replaced by a land fill providing parking
for autos and boat trailers. To the right of the road that curves onto the wharf
between the fill and the cliff is all that remains of the old Hotel Marre. 
Still visible is a concrete retaining wall which was part of the foundation.

The Marre family is once again in the hotel business. They own the San Luis
Obispo Bay Inn which is located just outside Avila on the road to the port.

Sources:
History of San Luis Obispo and Environs:  Mrs. Annie L. Morrison and
      John H. Haydon:  Historic Record      Company, Los Angeles, 1941 
History of San Luis Obispo County:  Senator Chris Jespersen; Harold McLean
      Meier, 1939 
Louisiana Dart, Curator, San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Discovering San Luis Obispo County
by
Carleton M. Winslow


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