Special Feature
THE CHILI HOUSE
MYSTERY
When an early 20th century building was recently
demolished, it revealed traces of a business whose
origins and history flummox even the most intrepid
Mountain View historians....
By Candace Bowers
MVHA President
It might sound like the title of a detective novel, but it’s
been puzzling local history buffs since January, when a
building demolition on El Camino Real revealed a ghost
sign from a long-forgotten business.
With the go-ahead given for a mixed-use development at
the corner of W. El Camino Real and Castro Street, several
buildings were torn down, including the Rug Center, Avis
car rental and the narrow, two-story Sufi Coffee Shop. The
demolition of the Sufi Coffee building revealed the exterior
wall of its neighbor, a gray cottage-like building that has
been left standing at 821 W. El Camino. On the side of the
building are the painted words “A & A C