Then-and-now photos: Dilapidated Granary became home to popular Paso Robles restaurant
Editor’s note: This is one in our new “Then and Now” series comparing historical San Luis Obispo County photos to the same locations today.
The building that is now home to Cool Hand Luke’s restaurant in Paso Robles has a long history in the city, one that was extended when the dilapidated building survived to enjoy a new future thanks to a renovation in the 1980s.
The five-story redwood Granary was built by the Central Milling Co. of San Jose in 1891 next to what was then the Southern Pacific Railroad track.
Originally, it was designed to be a flour mill and was soon part of the Sperry Milling Co. of San Francisco.
It was built before electricity was standard and was run by steam power instead.
Unfortunately, North County grain wasn’t high enough in protein to make commercial flour, so by 1924 Sperry sold the building and it became a grain shipping hub.
Later, after farmers started trucking their grain rather than shipping by rail, the granary looked like it might be demolished.
The building was saved by Granary Associates in the mid-1980s and converted into commercial spaces.
Though the windows are bigger and an elevator tower was added, the same stout redwood beams are at the heart of the building.
A more complete history and photos of the old interior can be found in this Photos From the Vault column from June 2022.
Use this slider tool to see how the photos compare from 1987 to today. If the slider isn’t appearing, try refreshing the page.
