(On the National Register of Historic Places)
after the original Palace Hotel, across the street, burned in the 1880s. The
new Palace Hotel was remodeled and expanded in 1914 and again in 1928.
The hotel underwent a partial restoration in the late 1970s that ended up
causing some major structural problems. Plaster that had covered the State
Street facade since the '20s was sandblasted, causing damage the brick.
Also, a major interior structural support was removed, causing the upper
floors to start a slow process of collapsing. A study done in 2003 showed
that even thou the building is not in immediate danger of collapsing, it will not
survive a major earthquake without being retrofitted.
The building was turned into a residential hotel in the early 1980s and closed
by 1989. It has remained closed and is deteriorating badly. Most of the
windows are broken and there are holes in the roof. People somehow
continually enter the building, causing even more damage.
The owner has allowed parts of the interior to be stripped, including copper
pipes, wood paneling, and furniture.
The Palace Hotel is waiting for some kind sole to purchase it and restore it to
its former glory. Most people agree that it needs to be turned into much
needed housing, either condos or apartments, with a mix of market rate and
low income units. Part of it will probably need to be demolished, but there is
a strong push to save the original structure and the 1928 addition. The 1914
addition is of no historic or architectural value and could easily be replaced by
a structure that better reflects the architectural history of Ukiah.
One bright spot is that the elaborate bar has been saved from further
deterioration and is now in use in the Ukiah Brewing Company, in the historic
Marks Building a few blocks south of the Palace Hotel.
