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Old Town Eureka California Walking Tour
Item 9 of 10
The Vance Hotel was built in 1872 in the Italianate style under the leadership of John Vance, a Eureka lumber magnate and entrepreneur. The Vance Hotel was the first hotel in the city to have electricity. It also advertised first class service and was regarded as the finest hotel in northern California outside San Francisco at the turn of the twentieth century. Today, the building is home to the organization "Eureka Main Street," as well as various retailers. The hotel is also part of the Eureka Old Town Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Vance Hotel building today

The Vance Hotel building today

The Vance Hotel building (n.d.)

The Vance Hotel building (n.d.)

The Vance Hotel building (1925)

The Vance Hotel building (1925)

The Vance Hotel building (1881)

The Vance Hotel building (1881)

The Vance Cafe now operates in the street-level storefront

The Vance Cafe now operates in the street-level storefront

The Vance Cafe now operates in the street-level storefront

The Vance Cafe now operates in the street-level storefront

Sign listing the current tenants of the Vance Hotel Building, now an office/retail complex

Sign listing the current tenants of the Vance Hotel Building, now an office/retail complex

The Vance Hotel Building entryway

The Vance Hotel Building entryway

The Vance Hotel Historical Plaque, placed by the Native Sons of the Golden West in 2004

The Vance Hotel Historical Plaque, placed by the Native Sons of the Golden West in 2004

Historical Plaque states that the Vance Hotel Building is a Eureka Historic Landmark

Historical Plaque states that the Vance Hotel Building is a Eureka Historic Landmark

The Vance Hotel Building today (side view)

The Vance Hotel Building today (side view)

Historic doors of the Vance Hotel Building

Historic doors of the Vance Hotel Building

In 1872, lumber pioneer John Vance commissioned to the architect B. Mackay to design a new hotel near the bustling Eureka waterfront. This area was filled with shops, warehouses, and saloons. Mackay's original design featured two stories, plus a sloping mansard roof with an "attic style" third floor. The roof was topped by a cupola, intended for viewing ships that were arriving or departing from the Humbolt Bay.

The Vance Hotel as it was originally built featured over 65 guest rooms, plus a dining room that could serve up to 120 people. It was considered to be the grandest hotel in the region, "not excelled by any hotel outside San Francisco for beauty, size, cost and architecture." In 1885, the Vance Hotel became the first building in Eureka to have electricity and one of the first wood-frame commercial buildings in the county to offer electric light. Its electricity was powered by the generator at Vance's saw mill, then located on G street. The Vance Hotel also held the distinction of being the second-largest building in California to be constructed entirely of wood. This is perhaps fitting, given that the building's owner made his fortune in lumber.

In 1902, the mansard roof was removed during a remodel of the property by a new owner, M. Delon. In its place, two additional full stories were added to create a twice as many hotel rooms. Thus, the upper two stories showcase a relatively more restrained Edwardian or Classical Revival style architecture, as opposed to the earlier and more ornate Victorian style that characterizes the two lower stories. The lower two stories still retain their original 1872 facade.

In 1912, a moat bridge was added to connect the second story of the Vance Hotel with a neighboring warehouse on the opposite side of Snug Alley, the small delivery street that ran between the two buildings. This moat bridge enabled hotel guests to conveniently reach the warehouse, where they were able to view sample displays of products being offered for sale by traveling merchants. For many years, the hotel served as the commercial and social center of the town.

During the 1950s, the hotel was purchased during a private auction by the family of the actor, Lloyd Bridges. It was one of several historic buildings in Eureka acquired by the Bridges family. In 1998, the Vance Hotel was again acquired by new owners, who restored the property as a Victorian retail and office space complex.

Today, the Vance Hotel building houses various businesses, shops, and restaurants, such as the Vance Cafe in a street-level storefront. Tenants also include Eureka Main Street, a public-private partnership that represents the interests of the merchants, professionals, community organizations, and the City of Eureka. The Vance Hotel anchors Eureka's Old Town Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

"Eureka Old Town Waterfront", Visit Redwoods. Accessed March 17th 2020. https://www.visitredwoods.com/listing/eureka-old-town-waterfront-self-guided-tour/44/.

Hight, Jim. "Rebirth of the Vance", North Coast Journal. Accessed March 17th 2020. https://www.northcoastjournal.com/121798/cover1217.html.

"Historic Sites and Points of Interest in Humboldt County: Vance Hotel", Noe Hill. Accessed March 17th 2020. https://noehill.com/humboldt/poi_vance_hotel.asp.

M., Lynette . "Vance Hotel, from 1881 to Now", Lynette's NorCal History Blog. Accessed March 17th 2020. https://lynette707.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/vance-hotel-from-1881-to-now/.

"The Mansard Roof and Second Empire", Old House Online. Accessed March 17th 2020. https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/the-mania-for-mansard-roofs.

"The Vance Hotel - Eureka, CA", Waymarking. Accessed March 17th 2020. https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMK047_The_Vance_Hotel_Eureka_California.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Noe Hill

HSU Special Collections/Ericson

Humboldt County Collection/Woods

History of Humboldt County

Yelp

Yelp

Yelp

Yelp

Waymarking

Yelp

Waymarking

Waymarking