Alex Madonna
Encyclopedia
Alex Madonna was a prominent builder
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...

 and real estate developer on the Central Coast of California
Central Coast of California
The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. It extends through Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Barbara County...

. He is perhaps most noted for the Madonna Inn
Madonna Inn
The Madonna Inn is a motel in San Luis Obispo, California. Opened for business in 1958, it quickly became a landmark on the Central Coast of California. The Inn was created by Alex Madonna, a successful construction magnate and entrepreneur who died in April 2004, and his wife, Phyllis...

 which he built for his wife, Phyllis Madonna.

Madonna was a self-made man. He started his own construction company in his early years, served on the Army Corps of Engineers in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, built bridges and roads throughout California. The Madonna Construction Company, under his leadership, was responsible for the construction of much of US 101 between Santa Barbara and San Francisco between 1953 and 1970. In 1958, Bridges magazine named the bridge above the Twitchell Reservoir the most beautiful bridge in the country. Traveling north on the freeway through San Luis Obispo, you can see an old neon sign (the pink and green are Mrs. and Mr. Madonna's favorite colors) for the construction company, about 100 yards (91.4 m) north of the aptly named Madonna Road exit. His holdings included thousands of acres of property, and horse and cattle ranches in California and Oregon.

In 2007 the stretch of 101 through San Luis Obispo and the Madonna Inn was dedicated to Madonna as Alex Madonna Memorial Highway.

Alex Madonna died on April 22, 2004 of a heart attack at the age of 85.

External links

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