Day 204: Ah Louis Store, San Luis Obispo, California

📌APIA Every Day (204) - The Ah Louis Store, constructed in 1885 in San Luis Obispo, California, is a two-story Victorian Italianate brick building that replaced an original wooden structure from 1874. Located at the corner of Palm and Chorro Streets, it was the first Chinese-owned store in San Luis Obispo County. The store served multiple functions for the local Chinese community, operating as a general store, post office, bank, and employment office. It also acted as a gathering place for community events such as Chinese New Year celebrations. The building was constructed using bricks from the brickyard owned by its founder, Ah Louis.

Ah Louis, born as On Wong in 1840 in China's Guangdong Province, immigrated to North America between 1856 and 1861. After initially participating in the California Gold Rush, he settled in San Luis Obispo and became a prominent labor contractor. Louis supplied Chinese workers for major infrastructure projects in the county, including railroad construction, road building, and the construction of the Port San Luis Wharf. In addition to the store and brickyard, he established a flower and vegetable seed business. His various enterprises played a significant role in the economic development of San Luis Obispo County in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The store's upper floor served as the Louis family residence from 1885 to 1936. Ah Louis and his second wife, Eng Gon Ying Louis, raised their eight children there. On September 30, 1909, a tragic incident occurred when Eng was murdered in her sleep. Willie Louis, Ah's oldest child from his first marriage, was convicted of the crime and executed in 1912. Despite this tragedy, the store continued to operate until Ah Louis's death in 1936 at the age of 96. As the Chinese population in the area declined in the early 20th century, the store's role as a community hub diminished.

In the years following Ah Louis's death, the building underwent several changes. It was damaged in the 2003 San Simeon earthquake and subsequently restored by Ah Louis's great-grandson. The Ah Louis Store was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 26, 2008, and is recognized as a California State Historical Landmark. These designations acknowledge its historical and architectural significance, particularly its role in the Chinese American history of California. Currently, the historically preserved building houses a party planning and supply store. The structure remains a tangible link to San Luis Obispo's past, providing insight into the economic and social dynamics of late 19th and early 20th century California.

LEARN MORE:

History of the Ah Louis Store: A historically significant building

Central Coast Asian American History: Ah Louis Store

National Park Service: Ah Louis Store

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