La Jolla (San Diego) · La Jolla
Grande Colonial La Jolla
Frank Stevenson's 1925–26 Prospect Street hotel, where La Jolla Playhouse actors such as Groucho Marx stayed; valet is included in every stay.
- Built
- 1925–26Colonial Apartments and Hotel opened in 1913; in 1925-26 owner George Bane had architect Frank Stevenson replace it with the present four-story concrete building (the 1913 building was moved to the rear). Exact completion year of the Stevenson building not confirmed (hotel timeline shows 1925 and 1926 entries).
- Architect
- Frank Stevenson
- Type
- Boutique hotel
- Area
- La Jolla
- Credentials
- Local landmark
The story
A.B. Harlan and George Bane opened the Colonial Apartments and Hotel in 1913. Bane later commissioned architect Frank Stevenson to build a hotel to ‘rival anything in the West’, moving the original building to the rear of the lot. After World War II, actors performing at the La Jolla Playhouse, among them Charlton Heston, Groucho Marx and David Niven, stayed at the Colonial. An $8 million project restored two adjacent historic buildings, the Little Hotel by the Sea and the Garden Terraces, into 18 suites.
The ghost story
The hotel reports that generations of guests and staff describe unexplained happenings, including front-desk calls at 2 a.m. coming from rooms known to be empty. It is told as hotel lore.
Source: thegrandecolonial.com
Good to know
- Breakfast: available
- Parking: on-site free
- Address: 910 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037
Things to do
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Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.