An Homage in Neon
Though the Madonna Inn may be Alex Madonna’s most iconic legacy, it would not exist without his first passion: construction.
Long before those 110 individually-themed guest rooms and the signature Pink Champagne cake (a favorite of SLOcals and Kacey Musgraves, alike) Alex began his Madonna Construction Company with a pick, a shovel, and a model-T Ford. The year was 1938; Alex was fresh out of high school with little more than a few hundred dollars and his dream.
Alex’s high school graduation photo.
By early 1940 Alex had compelted a few local jobs and was gaining traction as an entrepreneur. Soon, he was conducting his daily business from a rented office space in the Farmer’s Hardware store that his sister, La Verne, managed. The company’s credibility as Alex continued to win bids for large stretches of California highways.
Alex’s first business card listed the location of his office inside Farmer’s Hardware Company.
After serving with the Army Corps. of Engineers from 1941-1945, building roads and landing strips in the South Pacific, Alex returned to the Central Coast to continue constructing regional highways, bridges and buildings. He even constructed the original San Luis Obispo Regional Airport!
Alex spends 4 years overseas with the Army Corps of Engineers.
The construction company continued to thrive for 66 years until Alex’s passing in April 2004. At that time, Phyllis and the Madonna Family decided it was best to dedicate the team’s focus towards the flourishing of the Inn - Phyllis’s love and livelihood.
1949 - The Madonna Construction Company headquarters is complete
The days of construction may be over, but that doesn’t stop us from remembering that time in history fondly. We recently refurbished the Madonna Construction Company Neon sign, and have smiled thinking of how proud Mr. Madonna would be to see it shining brightly once again.
We estimate that the sign was made sometime in the mid-1950s when the Construction Co. Office was complete.
The sign had not been lit for years, until the Madonna family considered what a fun tribute it would be to have it refurbished. Clint Pearce of Madonna Enterprises said, “I thought it would be fun… a way to honor the company’s roots - to honor the family business.”