Hotel Stockton
Also known as: Public Assistance Offices,County of San Joaquin
Why it's listed
Occupying a full block in downtown Stockton, this 252-room hotel opened in 1910 and was designed by local architect Edgar B. Brown. Its Mission Revival design includes a five-story curved gable, domed towers, arcaded ground-floor storefronts and a hipped roof of sheet metal made to resemble red mission tile. Built on 1,777 wooden piles over a former part of the Stockton Channel, it is the first known structure in the San Joaquin Valley with a steel reinforced concrete frame. A roof garden pavilion was added two years after opening. The hotel was a social center, known for its dining rooms, a lobby fireplace in an Indian motif, and visiting stage performers. From 1912 to 1926 it served as Stockton City Hall, and from 1960 to 1964 as a temporary courthouse. Closed as a hotel in 1960, it has been county-owned since 1976 and houses public assistance offices.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a well-executed, large-scale example of Mission Revival architecture and the first known use of a steel reinforced concrete frame in the San Joaquin Valley. It is also tied to Stockton's commercial life as a leading hotel and to local government, having housed city offices from 1912 to 1926 and later county offices and a temporary courthouse.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 81000174, listed April 1, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 133 E. Weber Ave., Stockton |
|---|---|
| County | San Joaquin County |
| Listed | April 1, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000174 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Edgar B. Brown |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the County of San Joaquin since 1976 and used to house county public assistance offices; the hotel closed in 1960 and the bar and restaurant in 1966. Condition is described as excellent to good, with only minor alterations. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 37.95399, -121.28942 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 81000174.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15225880
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.