San Gorgonio Inn
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The San Gorgonio Inn is a historic one-time stagecoach stop in Banning, California, USA.
Built in 1883 by Captain John Morongo (for whom the nearby town of Morongo Valley and corresponding Morongo Basin was named), the San Gorgonio Inn served as a stagecoach stop until 1920 when a fire destroyed most of the guest rooms. A hotel register from the inn's earliest days was saved from the fire; among the guests listed was President Grover Cleveland who stayed there in 1888. The register is currently on display in the restaurant's lobby.
The inn florished with the coming of both U.S. Highway 99 (now known as Ramsey Street) and of Interstate 10. It remained a popular, low-cost coffee shop until 1984 when the owners died. The inn's new owners made an ill-fated attempt to turn the inn into a gentlemen's club, but the plan soon failed. One of the previous employees who served as head chef bought the property and changed it back into a restaurant.
An elaborate neon Googie-styled sign from the 1950s still points the way to the parking lot from the Ramsey Street entrance.
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