The Carlton Hotel began in 1928 as a single-story building for the Atascadero Development Syndicate. Its 52-room second-floor hotel, called the “Annex,” opened at a gala event on November 28, 1929. In 1931, the building changed hands for the third time, and under new owners it gained a rooftop neon sign that still remains and a new name, “The Carlton.” The hotel soon hosted Hollywood radio and television personalities including Jack Benny, Bette Davis, Fred MacMurray, Dick Powell, and Ralph Bellamy. Over the next twenty years, a new corner entrance and clock tower were added, and the tower was recreated in 2004 to restore its place as an Atascadero landmark.