The Sperry Building, or 1005 Monterey Street, was constructed in 1886.

The brick building, located at the order of Monterey and Osos Street, was constructed as a flour warehouse by E. W. Steele and F. H. Wheelan, with construction starting in July 1886.¹  Behind the warehouse was the Flour Mill.²

The building was later owned by the Central Milling Company, which sold the building to the Sperry Flour Company in 1892.³

By 1918 the address advertised the San Luis Garage⁴ , though it wasn't until approximately 1925 that the Sperry Flour Company vacated the site. In 1925 T. Maino filed a permit for a general remodel and in 1932 a permit was filed for a brick and concrete remodel to convert into a service station.⁶

1. San Luis Obispo Tribune, 23 July 1886, pg. 5

2. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California. Sanborn Map Company, Feb, 1888. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn00822_002/.

3. Morning Tribune, 6 October 1892, pg. 4

4. San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram, Number 212, 7 November 1918, pg. 4

5. "Sperry Flour Co. May Make Changes." San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram (San Luis Obispo, California), April 9, 1925: 8.

6. San Luis Obispo Building Permits Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Cal Poly.