A century later, jazz returns to La Valencia's terracotta tiles

Every Thursday evening, the historic La Valencia Hotel welcomes local residents and guests for the 1926 Social Club, a live jazz concert series celebrating the hotel’s 100th anniversary.

The La Valencia hotel, known as the “Pink Lady” of La Jolla, opened in 1926. Designed by architect Reginald Johnson, the hotel features Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, sweeping Pacific coastline views, and the iconic pink exterior recognizable across La Jolla. 

By the mid-20th century, the hotel's undisputed elegance and privacy attracted scores of Hollywood's finest actors, artists and musicians seeking refuge from the pressures of stardom, according to Times of San Diego. Over the past century, the hotel has become a melting pot for celebrities, local residents and traveling guests.

In preparation for the hotel’s 100-year anniversary on Dec. 15, 2026, marketing manager Sierra Prescott set out to discover how to celebrate the historical and transportive elements of the hotel while giving back to the surrounding community. She searched the archives of the La Jolla Historical Society for inspiration, and stumbled upon a photo of a lively social gathering on the Med Patio in the ‘40s. Inspired by that glimpse into the past, the team decided to pay homage to the golden age of music in which the hotel was born by bringing jazz back to the same terracotta tiles it once thrived on in decades past.

One of the goals for the series is to provide a space for the entire community to socialize, including guests from around the world and residents from down the street. In-person socializing among Americans has fallen 30% since 2003, and nearly 50% among teenagers, according to The Atlantic, making community events like these vital to the public. Some of Prescott's favorite moments are watching people share tables and strike up conversation with strangers, like the younger and older couple she recalls chatting across theirs one night. "That's really what we love to see is that bridging of generations," Prescott said. "I think music has a great way of doing that. Especially jazz... anyone can sit down and enjoy jazz."

The series features rotating jazz musicians from all across San Diego. This past Thursday, Los Salvajes graced the stage with its 1920s, New Orleans-style sound. Founder and leader of the band, Nightshade Navarro, said his goal on stage is simple: unity. His favorite moments are watching dancers of all ages, teenagers and grandparents alike, get up and move to the same rhythm. "A lot of people think that jazz is dead," Navarro said, "but no, you just have to know where to look, and La Valencia is one of the places to find it."