Hotel Petaluma
Restoration of the
Hotel Petaluma
When the owners of the Hotel Petaluma decided to renovate and make it more of a destination, they didn’t just update the rooms, they also restored the arts and crafts era lobby, ballroom, and the exterior courtyard.
The hotel wrapped around the courtyard on three sides but the architectural details had been hidden or destroyed by the construction of a one-story commercial space used as a restaurant or bar. Once this structure was removed it revealed the original courtyard that led from the curb to the original main entrance on Kentucky Street.
The original arched window openings in the masonry walls were revealed after being boarded up for many years. The missing wood framed windows had to be replaced and plaster molding and trim filled in where it had been crudely removed. The original hotel walls were scarred where the roof of the restaurant had been connected and waterproofed with hot tar, Chris devised a way to remove it without further damage to the original walls. A striking example was a missing decorative shield with flourishes above the entrance only shown in old photos. Chris completely recreated this shield from scratch including the sculpting of the cherubs and flourishes. (See Casting & Reproductions)
The many difficulties of this restoration project would provide many opportunities for Chris to demonstrate his capabilities, solve many separate problems and contribute to the successful results. He restored details in the ballroom and lobby, and built a new bar on the lobby floor.
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