National Register of Historic Places in San Luis Obispo County
 "National Register #93000670: Cal Poly Powerhouse in San Luis Obispo")
 "National Register #93000670: Cal Poly Powerhouse in San Luis Obispo")
 "National Register #93000670: Cal Poly Powerhouse in San Luis Obispo")
12 March 2017
(Click Photo to Zoom)
The Old Powerhouse
South Perimeter Road and Cuesta Avenue
San Luis Obispo
Built 1908
Situated in the oldest part of the Cal Poly campus, the Old Powerhouse a Mission Revival building designed by William H. Weeks. All of the other campus buildings designed by Weeks have been demolished.
The Old Powerhouse began supplying electricity to the campus in 1910, sixteen years before the county of San Luis Obispo had rural service. It continued to supply power through the 1940s at a substantially lower cost than could be had from the local utility.
Source: Adapted from the NRHP nomination submitted in 1993.
The historical marker reads:
The Old Powerhouse
The old powerhouse was built in 1908, and is the oldest building on the Cal Poly campus. It utilized student labor in its construction, thus embodying "learn by doing." From 1910 to 1940 it supplied all of the electricity and steam heat for the campus. Most recently this building was occupied by the School of Architecture and Environmental Design.
It was abandoned in 1990.
On May 7 1993, the old powerhouse was accepted to the National Register of Historic Places.