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La Playa Hotel | |
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Location | Camino Real &, 8th Ave, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California |
Coordinates | 36°33′9″N121°55′32″W / 36.55250°N 121.92556°W |
Built | 1905 |
Built by | Michael J. Murphy |
Built for | Chris Jorgensen |
Original use | Residence |
Current use | Hotel |
Architect | Chris Jorgensen |
Architectural style(s) | Mediterranean Revival Spanish Revival |
The La Playa Hotel 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 qualified as an important commercial building and was registered with the California Register of Historical Resources on September 21, 2002. [1]
The La Playa Hotel, dates to 1905 when artist Chris Jorgensen (1860–1935) built a two-story wood-framed, ell shaped stone mansion on the southwest corner of El Camino Real and 8th Avenue, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The home was a gift to his wife, Angela Ghirardelli (1859–1936), heiress to the Ghirardelli Chocolate fortune. The original part of the building was a stone tower with a quatrefoil window, on the north-east side, designed by Jorgensen and built by master stonemason Ben Turner. The upper floor had a wood railing between the stone columns that supported a low-pitched hipped roof. The property had the first swimming pool in Carmel. [1] [2] [3]
The Godwin's rebuilt the hotel with Michael J. Murphy as the contractor in 1925. They added an additional 30-rooms to the south wing, steam heat and private baths. The original entrance and lobby were reconstructed. Fred Godwin went on to mayor of Carmel from 1946 to 1950. [4] [5]
The hotel was purchased by Howard E. Allen in 1968 and underwent changes that included a full-time bar and sprinkler system. A full renovation of the hotel occurred in 1983–84, when the Cope family, owners of San Francisco's Huntington Hotel, purchased the hotel and completed a $5 million renovation, which included an upgrade and expansion to the surrounding gardens and landscaping. In 1983, Steve Jobs had an Apple development team retreat at the La Playa hotel and unveiled the Macintosh computer prototype during the retreat. He christened the computer with a bottle of La Playa water. [2] [6] [7]
In 1992, the hotel became a member of the Historic Hotels of America and is currently one of nine hotels in California recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its architectural quality, historic character, and sensitive rehabilitation. The hotel was registered with the California Register of Historical Resources on September 21, 2002. It qualifies under the California Register criterion 1, in history as one of the earliest remaining artists’ studios in Carmel, and one of the most notable hotels in the history of Carmel. It is also significant under criterion 3, in the area of architecture as one of the few artist designed studio buildings remaining in Carmel, and an example of the early work of stonemason Ben Turner. [1]
Francis Whitaker was a blacksmith in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, where he established The Forge in the Forest. He had The Mountain Forge, in Aspen, Colorado, which he later relocated when he was named an artist-in-residence at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, Colorado.
Greene and Greene was an architectural firm established by brothers Charles Sumner Greene (1868–1957) and Henry Mather Greene, influential early 20th Century American architects. Active primarily in California, their houses and larger-scale ultimate bungalows are prime exemplars of the American Arts and Crafts Movement.
Allied Arts Guild was founded in 1928 and is a complex of artist studios, shops, restaurant, and gardens in Menlo Park, California, and is used as a venue for both public and private events. It is run by the Allied Arts Guild Auxiliary to provide funds for uncompensated care and special projects at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
Joseph Jacinto Mora was a Uruguayan-born American cowboy, photographer, artist, cartoonist, illustrator, painter, muralist, sculptor, and historian who wrote about his experiences in California. He has been called the "Renaissance Man of the West".
Carmel Highlands is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, at an elevation of 318 feet. Carmel Highlands is just south of the Point Lobos State Reserve, and serves as the northern gateway of the Big Sur coastline along California State Route 1. Carmel Highlands was laid out in 1916 by developers Frank Hubbard Powers and James Franklin Devendorf and the Carmel Development Company.
Tor House and Hawk Tower are buildings in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States. They were the home of poet Robinson Jeffers and family from 1919 to 1999. The two structures, often referred to jointly as Tor House, are generally believed to have played a crucial role in the development of Robinson Jeffers as a poet. Stewart Brand, founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, describes Tor House as "a poem-like masterpiece" with "more direct intelligence per square inch than any other house in America". The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2024.
The Third Bay Tradition is an architectural style from the period of 1945 through the 1980s that was rooted in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, with its best known example being Sea Ranch. Considered a hybrid of modern and vernacular styles, the tradition was codified by the design works of Donlyn Lyndon, Charles Moore, Marcel Sedletzky, and William Turnbull.
Robert Stanton (1900-1983) was an American architect. A resident of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, he practiced primarily in the central California coastal region, and was responsible for a variety of eclectic buildings, most notably the Monterey County Court House and the King City Joint Union High School Auditorium, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He worked closely with sculptor Joseph Jacinto Mora on several of his projects.
Christian August Jorgensen was a Norwegian-born American landscape painter. Jorgensen is best known for his paintings of Yosemite Valley and the California Missions.
The Sunset Center is located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States. It is a performing arts center which features concerts, comedy, theatre, and dance. Formerly the Sunset School, the site was purchased by the city of Carmel in 1965 with the plan to develop it into a cultural center. It is home to the Carmel Bach Festival. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 9, 1998.
A statue of Junípero Serra, also known as the Serra Shrine, was installed in the community of Carmel Woods in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States. Artist Joseph "Jo" Mora (1876-1947), designed and carved the wood statue of Serra for real estate developer Samuel F.B. Morse's new subdivision.
The Carmel-by-the-Sea World War I Memorial Arch is a World War I memorial designed in 1919 by architect Charles Sumner Greene and located at Ocean Avenue and San Carlos Street center median divider in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The Memorial Arch was designated as a significant monument in the city's Downtown Historic District Property Survey, The Memorial Arch was recorded with the Department of Parks and Recreation on November 16, 2001. The Memorial Arch has been a historic landmark since November 1921, when it was built for Carmel World War I veterans. The Spanish Mission Revival style arch is constructed of Carmel sandstone.
John O'Shea was a California painter. His works are held in the permanent collections of several locations, including the Harrison Memorial Library, Monterey Museum of Art, Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, and the Bohemian Club.
James Franklin Devendorf, was a pioneer real estate developer and philanthropist. Devendorf and attorney Frank Hubbard Powers (1864-1921), founded the Carmel Development Company in 1902. He became the "Father" of an artists and writers' colony that became Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, which included the Carmel Highlands, California. Devendorf spent the next 30 years of his life developing Carmel and the Carmel Highlands into a community of painters, writers, and musicians.
Herbert "Bert" Heron was an American writer, actor, producer and mayor. Heron is best known for founding the Forest Theater in 1910. He was the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, for two terms in the 1930s. He lived in Carmel for 62 years.
The La Ribera Hotel, also known as the Cypress Inn, is a historic Spanish Eclectic hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It was designed by architects Blaine & Olsen of Oakland, California and built in 1929, by Meese & Briggs. The building was designated as a significant commercial building in the city's Downtown Historic District Property Survey, and was recorded with the Department of Parks and Recreation on February 13, 2003.
Edward Gerhard Kuster was a musician and attorney from Los Angeles for twenty-one years before coming to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, in 1921. He became involved in theater there and established his own theatre and school. He built the Theatre of the Golden Bough in 1924, and a second and third theater, each called Golden Bough Playhouse, the last of which opened in 1952. Kuster directed 85 plays and acted in more than 50 roles in the 35 years he lived in Carmel.
The following is a timeline of the history of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States.