Biographical / Historical Notes
The Hotel Brewster was built in 1888 and sat on the corner of 4th and C Streets. Owned by Horace Brewster, it was a four story, first class hotel that boasted of a second floor dining room and ballroom as well as several shops accessible from the lobby, including a pharmacy. According to a listing in the American Hotel Guide located in the back of the register, the hotel’s nightly rate in 1890 was $2.50 and up. The hotel was very popular with ranchers and upper-class Mexican citizens and frequently hosted prominent local businessmen such as Philip Morse and local landowners including the Couts family. During World War I, the Brewster would set up cots in the hallways and lobby and rent them out to soldiers. The hotel was torn down in 1934 and replaced with several single story shops.
From the guide to the Hotel Brewster Register, 1890 January 1-June 14, (San Diego History Center Document Collection)
