Pine Inn, once called the Hotel Carmelo, is one of the early first-class

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

, Tudor, Spanish style hotels established in

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and ric ...

. The Pine Inn is a historical resource dating back to 1889 when pioneer Santiago J. Duckworth built Hotel Carmelo.

James Franklin Devendorf James Franklin Devendorf (April 6, 1856–October 9, 1934), was a pioneer real estate development, real estate developer and philanthropist. Devendorf and attorney Frank Hubbard Powers (1864-1921), founded the Carmel Development Company in 1902. ...

, renamed the hotel the "Pine Inn" in 1904. Today, it is a full-service hotel. The Pine Inn qualified for inclusion in the city's ''Downtown Historic District Property Survey,'' and was registered with the California Register of Historical Resources on March 18, 2003. The Inn is significant under the California Register criterion 1, as the first hotel in the history of the downtown district of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

History

Hotel Carmelo

In 1889, real estate developer and early pioneer of "Carmel City," Santiago J. Duckworth reserved five lots for the city's first hotel, called Hotel Carmelo. It was first located in the undeveloped section of town, at the corner of Ocean Avenue Avenue and Broadway (now Junipero Street), east of what became

Devendorf Park Devendorf Park is a city park that occupies the block of Ocean Avenue and Junipero Street, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey County, California, United States. The park is Carmel's central gathering place for outdoor events. The nearest larger town is Pe ...

. Back then, Broadway was envisioned as the main street. The two-story,

American Craftsman American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. Its ...

style hotel was built by

Delos Goldsmith Delos E. Goldsmith (September 3, 1828–July 3, 1921), was an American master builder in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. For over fifty years, Goldsmith was a resident of Carmel and had a significant influence in constructing many of the early hom ...

for sales agent

Abbie Jane Hunter Abigail Jane Hunter, (1855–???) was as an early pioneer businesswoman, real estate development, real estate developer, and visionary of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Carmel-by-the-Sea. She is best known as Carmel's first woman real estate deve ...

, like a country inn, with wood from the old Tivoli Opera House in San Francisco. Hunter worked for real estate developer Duckworth. She used the hotel as her office, to welcome guests, and to sale lots. In 1890, trees were removed and an outline marked for the construction of Ocean Avenue heading up the hill. Visitors would take a horse-drawn carriage called the "Carmel Bus," from the Monterey train station to the town. They came to buy lots and stayed at the hotel. On July 4, 1891, a dance party was the first community event held at the hotel. In 1890, Duckworth printed a subdivision map, showing the hotel, cottages, and lots for sale.

Move and expansion

By 1903, Carmel-by-the-Sea's early founder and real estate developer,

, put the hotel on pine logs and moved it down Ocean Avenue four city blocks closer to the Carmel beach to the corner of Ocean Avenue and Monte Verde Street. The old location became a livery yard, then the Village Inn, now a hotel called The Gateway. Devendorf renamed the hotel the "Pine Inn" and renovated it. With the help of architect Thomas Morgan (brother of

Mary DeNeale Morgan Mary DeNeale Morgan (May 24, 1868 – October 10, 1948) also known as M. DeNeale Morgan, was an American plein air painter, especially in watercolor, and printmaker. She was the director the Carmel Summer School of Art sponsored by the Carmel Arts ...

) and builder M. J. Murphy, Devendorf added a one-story roof entrance, sunroom and dining room looking west to the sea to the original two-story building. He also added a stable and a row of tents for extra lodging. Prospective buyers stayed at the Inn before decided on what lot to purchase. Early advertisements for the new Pine Inn began in the spring of 1903, with hotel rates at $8 per week. J. F. Devendorf was the contact person. Mary L. Hamlin became manager in 1909. Devendorf sold the Pine Inn in late 1911. By 1914, C.C. Belmont and his wife took over management of the hotel. He worked with Goold's livery, Leidig Bros. grocery, and Schweninger bakery to provide goods and services. When the

Carmel Arts and Crafts Club The Carmel Arts and Crafts Club was an art gallery, clubhouse founded in 1905, by Elsie Allen, a former art instructor for Wellesley College. The club was located at Monte Verde Street in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, where the Golden Bough P ...

put on Shakespeare plays and poetry readings at the

Forest Theater The Forest Theater is an historic amphitheater in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Founded in 1910, it is one of the oldest outdoor theaters west of the Rockies. Actor/director Herbert Heron is generally cited as the founder and driving force, an ...

, the Pine Inn became the recommended place to stay for students and their friends.

1920s and 1940s expansion

In the 1920s and 1940s, the Pine Inn went through important redesign and expansion that would include the entire city blcok. In 1922, John B. Jordan, an actor and scholar, purchased the hotel. He served eight years on the Carmel city council and two years as Carmel mayor (1926-1928). Jordan enlarged the hotel to include cottages offered for $15 () to $30 () a month, tennis courts, and putting greens. In 1928, a major remodel was designed by Blaine and Olson in a

Spanish Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

style with a two-story 40-room addition on the Monte Verde side that connected to the main building. Builder M. J. Murphy did the construction for the remodel at a cost of $250,000 (). Jordan sold the Pine Inn to William Harrison Godwin II in August 1940. Godwin and his brother, Frederick "Fred" MacKaye Godwin, had learned the hotel business working for their aunt Agnes "Alice" D. Signor who owned the

La Playa Hotel The La Playa Hotel, also known as the "Grande Dame of Carmel," is a historic two-story hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, once owned by artist Chris Jorgensen. The building is an example of Mediterranean Revival architecture. The building qua ...

. In the 1940s, designer Jon Konigshofer remodeled the interiors of the Pine Inn in a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

style. Godwin added 12 retail stores, a rooftop garden for outdoor dining, newly decorated 55 bedrooms, and the Red Parlor Pub (now closed). Godwin sold the Pine Inn to Caroll McKee in 1962 and Godwin retired to Santa Barbara. In 1972, new owner Carroll McKee, added an open courtyard in the center with a glass gazebo dining. The current owners, Richard, and Mimi Gunner, purchased the hotel in 1986. They added Chinese and Pierre Dux French furnishings. The Il Fornaio Italian-themed fine dining restaurant was added to the main dining room.

References

External links

Official Website

Downtown Conservation District Historic Property Survey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pine Inn Hotels in California Hotel buildings completed in 1889 Hotels established in 1889 1889 establishments in California History of the Monterey Bay Area