Ah Louis Store
Why it's listed
Built in 1885 at the corner of Palm and Chorro Streets in San Luis Obispo, this two-story brick Italianate building replaced an 1874 wooden store owned by Ah Louis, born Wong On. Walker built it with bricks from Ah Louis's own brickworks. The ground floor held a general store with original redwood shelving and cabinetry, and the family lived upstairs. Heavy iron shutters, one marked by gunfire, still protect the openings. The store served as the center of the local Chinese community, acting as a bank, post office, gathering place and employment office. Ah Louis supplied laborers for wharves, roads and the Pacific Coast and Southern Pacific railroads, and he later pioneered a seed business. By the 1930s most Chinese residents had left, and this is one of only four buildings surviving from the original Chinatown. The building was designated California Historical Landmark No. 802 in 1975 and was seismically retrofitted in 2005 with little change to its historic appearance.
Significance in brief: It is a surviving building from San Luis Obispo's historic Chinatown and is closely tied to Ah Louis (Wong On), a labor contractor, merchant and brickmaker. The store served as general store, bank, post office and employment office for the Chinese community, and it was the center of Chinatown. It is one of only four buildings left from the original Chinatown.
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 08000203, listed March 26, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 800 Palm St., San Luis Opispo |
|---|---|
| County | San Luis Obispo County |
| Listed | March 26, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000203 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1885-1936 |
| Architect / builder | Walker, Alfred |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Asian, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition and almost entirely original, with earthquake retrofitting, rewiring and replumbing completed around 2005; it also serves as a specialty store and single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.28269, -120.66471 (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 08000203.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q57423003
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.