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There was a time when Modesto had not one or two major hotels, but three (four if you count the older Tynan Hotel, later the State). In 1914, Modesto was big enough to support a residence hotel with a basement ballroom and all the fittings of the more elaborate hotels of bigger cities. The Hotel Modesto became the center of social activity in a growing community. It would be followed in short order by the Hotel Hughson, with a swimming pool in the basement and a roof garden; and the Hotel Covell, which boasted the National Theatre, a movie house, as part of the structure.
But the Hotel Modesto remained the choice of many of Modesto's important people, with some living in the hotel, as well as conducting business in its plush public rooms.
The hotel is pictured above as it looked in its earliest days. Later, it would see the addition of another floor and another wing of rooms. Unfortunately, in May of 1944, a fire started in the basement of the Dutch Boy Paint Store and soon swept the hotel. Two people were killed, both as they were making attempts to escape with the help of firefighters. The photo animation takes you through a transition of the hotel from 1914 to the day after the 1944 fire.
The ruins of the hotel were fenced in and remained an eyesore in downtown Modesto until 1960 when Modesto's new city hall was built on the spot. Because the basement had caved in, and the lot was already excavated for a lower level, the new city hall featured a below level courtyard with attractive landscaping. The city hall building has now become a court building for Stanislaus County and a new city-county building has been built on the site of the Hotel Hughson and Hotel Covell. | ||||||||
From the corner of a Hotel Modesto envelope, circa 1937. | ||||||||
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Visit Other Landmark Hotels Below: | ||||||||
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 | Modesto's former City Hall opened in 1960 on the site of the Hotel Modesto. This photo shows the building before an additional floor was added. When 10th Street Place opened, the new city hall moved there and this building became a courthouse. It shares its location with the Gallo Center for the Arts.
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