Hotel Woodland
Encyclopedia
Hotel Woodland is a historic hotel
located in Woodland, California
and designed by William Henry Weeks. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places
, and is a contributing property of the Downtown Woodland Historic District
.
The plans weren't carried out until 1928, however. At this point in Woodland's history, there were many tourists and visitors to the city, and this prosperity prompted the plans years earlier for an upscale hotel, to come to fruition. The hotel was developed by Weeks' Securities Corporation, a corporation Weeks had just started the same year, which had developed several other hotels in northern California
. Around 50 local businesses also invested in the hotel, raising 10% of the $500,000 spent to construct the building. A site on the corner of Main and College Street was chosen, where just ten years earlier a hotel by the name of Byrns Hotel had been condemned and demolished. Hotel Woodland was thus made real. In the 25 years since his first project in Woodland, this would be Weeks' 14th project and last major work in the city.
The hotel was completed with four stories, 80 guest rooms, and was built reflecting the Spanish Colonial Revival style, also sometimes synonymous with the Churrigueresque
style. The Spanish Colonial Revival style of the building shows a simplified commercial version, but has more detailed Churrigueresque features like the "festively painted" moldings that are grouped together in the upper window of the central tower of the building. The building also shows off a clay tile roof and decorated spiral columns near the entryway. The building's lobby features 2000 ft2 of cement floor, meant to appear like Mexican tile, wrought iron
chandeliers and "beamed, stenciled ceilings". The ground floor also had a restaurant and a banquet room for social events.
Its elegance made it a spot for important community events and gatherings. Because of its visibility on Main Street, as well as its beauty, it was one of the buildings that contributed to the splendor of Downtown Woodland.
By the 1980s, the hotel had become dilapidated and worn. Main Street merchants and city residents all agreed that something had to be done to the building, either to demolish it or to renovate it. After much discussion over several years, the path of renovation for the hotel was chosen. Near the end of 1994 a non-profit organization and a local developer purchased the hotel for $925,000. They made $5.5 million in subsequent renovations to make the hotel livable. The hotel was converted into a place for low-income residents. The renovations were funded from local, state, and federal grants. The upper floors were planned for housing while the bottom floors were projected to have shops.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
located in Woodland, California
Woodland, California
Woodland is the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento - Arden-Arcade - Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 55,468 at the 2010 census.Woodland's origins trace back to 1850 when California...
and designed by William Henry Weeks. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and is a contributing property of the Downtown Woodland Historic District
Downtown Woodland Historic District
The Downtown Woodland Historic District is a historic district in Woodland, California. The district encompasses roughly and 59 contributing buildings. It is a California Historical Landmark and is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.-References:...
.
History
In 1920 the idea of an upscale hotel in Woodland was discussed by a group of local businessmen, who then formed an investment group that offered stock ownership for this idea. This group approached W.H. Weeks with their preliminary plans after enough funds were raised to make the project seem possible.The plans weren't carried out until 1928, however. At this point in Woodland's history, there were many tourists and visitors to the city, and this prosperity prompted the plans years earlier for an upscale hotel, to come to fruition. The hotel was developed by Weeks' Securities Corporation, a corporation Weeks had just started the same year, which had developed several other hotels in northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. Around 50 local businesses also invested in the hotel, raising 10% of the $500,000 spent to construct the building. A site on the corner of Main and College Street was chosen, where just ten years earlier a hotel by the name of Byrns Hotel had been condemned and demolished. Hotel Woodland was thus made real. In the 25 years since his first project in Woodland, this would be Weeks' 14th project and last major work in the city.
The hotel was completed with four stories, 80 guest rooms, and was built reflecting the Spanish Colonial Revival style, also sometimes synonymous with the Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th century and was used up to about 1750, marked by extreme, expressive and florid decorative detailing, normally found above the...
style. The Spanish Colonial Revival style of the building shows a simplified commercial version, but has more detailed Churrigueresque features like the "festively painted" moldings that are grouped together in the upper window of the central tower of the building. The building also shows off a clay tile roof and decorated spiral columns near the entryway. The building's lobby features 2000 ft2 of cement floor, meant to appear like Mexican tile, wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
chandeliers and "beamed, stenciled ceilings". The ground floor also had a restaurant and a banquet room for social events.
Its elegance made it a spot for important community events and gatherings. Because of its visibility on Main Street, as well as its beauty, it was one of the buildings that contributed to the splendor of Downtown Woodland.
By the 1980s, the hotel had become dilapidated and worn. Main Street merchants and city residents all agreed that something had to be done to the building, either to demolish it or to renovate it. After much discussion over several years, the path of renovation for the hotel was chosen. Near the end of 1994 a non-profit organization and a local developer purchased the hotel for $925,000. They made $5.5 million in subsequent renovations to make the hotel livable. The hotel was converted into a place for low-income residents. The renovations were funded from local, state, and federal grants. The upper floors were planned for housing while the bottom floors were projected to have shops.