Eureka Inn

The Eureka Inn in Eureka, California is a four-story, 104-room Elizabethan Tudor Revival architectural style hotel, which opened in 1922. In February 1982, the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Eureka Inn
Front elevation on 7th St.
Eureka Inn
Eureka Inn
General information
Architectural styleTudor Revival
Town or cityEureka, California
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40.80026°N 124.16528°W / 40.80026; -124.16528
Completed1922, 1924 (major addition of back wing)
Technical details
Floor count4
Design and construction
ArchitectFrederick Whitton
Other information
Number of rooms104
NRHP reference No.82002181
Added to NRHPFebruary 11, 1982

In 2004, the inn was closed after tax defaults by its owner.[1] In 2008, Libo Zhu purchased the Inn for $2.75 million, and began a program of refurbishment.[1] The Inn reopened in May 2010.[2]

History

The hotel opened in 1922, coinciding with the opening of the Redwood Highway between Eureka and San Francisco. A large property for those times, the Eureka Inn was the premier full service lodging between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. Though it housed many thousands of visitors (including US Presidents and royalty) from all over the world during its first several decades, the hotel began to show the effects of time.

In 1960 Helen Barnum, the matriarch of a successful timber family in the county, purchased controlling interest in the hotel and a process of modernization began.[3]

After Barnum's death in 1993, John Edward Biord purchased her shares from her estate, and also purchased the remaining shares to secure full ownership of the property. However, in 2002 the Internal Revenue Service placed a lien on the inn due to unpaid taxes,[3] and in 2004 the inn closed.[1]

In September 2008, South California businessman Libo Zhu purchased the inn for $2.75 million.[1] His business plan, reviewed by the Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce, suggested that he has "ambitious" plans to honor the inn's "integrity as a historic hotel."[4] After refurbishment, Zhu reopened the inn in May 2010.[2]

Architecture and features
Eureka Inn entrance hall

Architectural details include the use of differing roof forms and "visually stunning textured elevations", which are highlighted by stucco and half-timbering.[5]

The 93,000-square-foot (8,600 m2) hotel, which fully occupies a city block, has had up to 104 guest rooms, including 99 rooms and five full suites. The hotel has historically contained up to three restaurants, two bars, two saunas, an indoor spa,[6] and nine meeting venues, all of which has been supported by up to 140 employees.[7] Resplendent with its courtyard (now primarily a swimming pool), grand entry, great lounge and giant fireplace, and constructed of Redwood, it is the largest conference facility and third largest lodging property in the region.

The building, a National Register of Historic Places property, remained closed for several years, awaiting an owner who could return it to its rightful place as the cultural hub of the Greater Eureka Area. Though the exterior was refurbished in 2005, including a return to its 1920's color scheme of white with green highlighting and trim, the interior rooms and public areas needed updating and remodeling to be made again ready for the public.

Stucco and half-timbering on facade

The inn appears extensively in the 2018 film An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, under the name of The Moorhouse Hotel. Both the exterior and interior were used in the film.

See also

References
  1. Bailey, Ashley (September 11, 2010). "Eureka Inn moves forward". The Times-Standard.
  2. Eureka Times-Standard, A new beginning for Eureka Inn, Url Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  3. "Inn Trouble". North Coast Journal. January 15, 2004. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  4. Eureka Times-Standard, Eureka Inn buyer reportedly wants to restore building as a historic hotel Url Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  5. Architectural Resources Group (1994). Eureka: An architectural view. Eureka, California: Eureka Heritage Society, Inc. p. 84. ISBN 0-9615004-0-9.
  6. Loopnet.com Commercial Real Estate
  7. Hospitality online
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