The Padre Hotel
Exterior image of the Padre Hotel.
The Padre Hotel is a longtime landmark in downtown Bakersfield.
General information
TypeHotel
Architectural styleSpanish Colonial Revival
LocationBakersfield, California
Address1702 18th St
Coordinates35°22′31″N 119°01′18″W / 35.3754°N 119.0217°W / 35.3754; -119.0217
Completed1928 (1928)
Renovated2002-2010
OwnerPadre Partners, LP
Height113.8 feet (34.7 m)
Technical details
Structural systemBrick and mortar construction
Floor count8
Lifts/elevators2
Design and construction
Architect(s)John M. Cooper (1928)
Renovating team
Architect(s)Graham Downes
Website
http://www.thepadrehotel.com
References
The Padre Hotel[1]
Kern County Museum[2]

The Padre Hotel is a historical landmark hotel located on the corner of 18th and H streets in Bakersfield, California. Originally constructed in 1928 as a luxury hotel and restaurant, the eight-story building went through an extensive renovation and reopened in 2010.[3] The Padre Hotel features 112 rooms and suites, several meeting spaces, a restaurant, a bar, a cafe, a bistro, and an outdoor bar with a cabana and firepits. Guests of the hotel are required to be at least 21 years of age, unless accompanied by an adult.[4]

History

Originally built in 1928, the eight-story Spanish Colonial Revival hotel had an auspicious and flamboyant beginning in the Central Valley's early and notorious oil rush days, but none quite so colorful as that of Milton “Spartacus” Miller, who purchased The Padre in 1954. For the next 45 years, he did spirited battle with Bakersfield's city fathers over a myriad of issues, even mounting a fake missile on the roof, defiantly directed at City Hall with no small disdain. Miller died in 1999.

A fire on the seventh floor in the 1950s resulted in many deaths, including children. Several children were tragically trapped and died in the basement during the 1952 earthquake. There have also been many suicides from the roof of the Padre Hotel.

The Padre Hotel fell into disrepair and was a derelict hotel from the 1960s until its most recent renovation in 2010. Prior to that renovation, the upper floors were condemned but often had squatters occupying the rooms. The bar downstairs stayed open during this time and was a meeting place for the city's misfits and barflies.

Padre Hotel Bar in the 1980s

The 7th floor where the fire occurred is considered to be haunted. Many people who stay on up the floor report doors slamming, as well as handprints that always stay after an attempt to wipe them off.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Media Kit Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine. The Padre Hotel. Accessed: Oct 9, 2012.
  2. ↑ Architects Who Designed Buildings in Kern County. Kern County Museum. Accessed: Oct 9, 2012.
  3. ↑ KBAK News Archived 2013-10-20 at the Wayback Machine "New owners reveal plans for future of historic Padre Hotel" Published: March 4, 2008 Accessed: Oct 9, 2012
  4. ↑ Home Page. The Padre Hotel. Accessed: Oct 9, 2012.
  5. ↑ https://www.turnto23.com/entertainment/ghost-hunt-at-the-padre-hotel-in-Bakersfield

Earthquake safety

Legends of haunting

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