HomeMy WebLinkAbout094-2015RESOLUTION NO. 94-2015
DESIGNATING THE DANVILLE HOTEL AS A DANVILLE HERITAGE
RESOURCE (APN: 208-023-028 - DANVILLE HOTEL HOLDINGS, LLC)
WHEREAS, Danville Hotel Holdings, LLC are the owners of the property identified as
411 Hartz Avenue; and
WHEREAS, on March 22, 2011 the Planning Commission and Heritage Resource
Commission jointly approved Final Development Plan request DEV10-0064; Variance
request VAR10-0016; Master Sign Program Sign Review request SR10-0024; Tree
Removal request TR10-0022; and Major Subdivision request SD 9292; and
WHEREAS, these approvals served to allow for the construction of approximately
41,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space with 16 for -sale residential
condominium units and two apartment units on the 1.12 +/- acre site; and
WHEREAS, the approval also provided for the restoration of the historic Danville Hotel
and McCauley House on the property as part of the project; and
WHEREAS, the restoration of the Danville Hotel has been satisfactorily completed; and
WHEREAS, the Danville Heritage Resource Commission held a public hearing on
September 14, 2015, and approved Heritage Resource Commission Resolution No. 2015-
01 recommending that the Town Council designate the Danville Hotel as a Danville
Heritage Resource; and
WHEREAS, Danville Hotel Holdings, LLC has consented to the designation of the
Danville Hotel as a local heritage resource; and
WHEREAS, Section 32-72 of the Danville Municipal Code (Historic Preservation)
establishes criteria for designation of a heritage resource; and
WHEREAS, the history of the Danville Hotel includes the following:
1. The structure is currently located on Lots 2 and 3 of Block 3 in the first
subdivision plat Map of Danville recorded by John Hartz in 1891.
2. In June 1891 the railroad came to town when 19.7 miles of track were laid
between Martinez and San Ramon.
3. The hotel was built on Lots 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Block 3. An agreement was signed on
December 3, 1892 in which Edward McCauley purchased these lots from John
Hartz for $500.00.
4. The structure was originally built facing west toward Railroad Avenue and was
first called the Railroad Hotel.
5. The structure was originally a white two-story Folk Victorian building that had
8-10 rooms, perhaps 1 or 2 baths and was entirely heated by wood stoves.
6. It is reported that there was a "men's bar" on one side of the first floor of the
hotel and a "ladies bar" on the other side.
7. In 1911, Mary and Sarah McCauley purchased Lots 1 & 2, of Block 3 along Hartz
Avenue, and in 1927 the hotel was moved to the site where it is located today.
8. Over time, the hotel has had several alterations, many of which are historically
significant in their own right. As part of the restoration of the structure, an
addition to the rear of the structure was removed and the rear wall was
reconstructed in a manner consistent with its original design.
RESOLVED, that the Danville Town Council designate the Danville Hotel located at
411 Hartz Avenue as a Danville Heritage Resource based on the following findings and
Historic Preservation Ordinance Criteria:
1. The Danville Hotel is over 50 years old and was built circa 1892.
2. Although the structure has been modified over time, it still retains most of its
historic integrity. The relocation of the building to Hartz Avenue is historically
significant in its own right and an addition to the rear of the structure was
removed and the rear wall was reconstructed in a manner consistent with its
original design.
3. Criteria a: The Danville Hotel is representative of Folk Victorian architecture
that reflects the agricultural time period in which it was built in Danville.
4. Criteria b: It represents a use that was once common but is now rare since hotels
of this size are not typical today. In the late 1800s railroad workers for the
Southern Pacific Railroad and the traveling public needed the hotel since it was a
day long trip to Martinez.
5. Criteria c: Being one of the first commercial buildings in downtown Danville, the
local hotel and bar was an important social and cultural gathering place in
Danville's history.
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6. Criteria e: The McCauley family lived next door and were the inn keepers. They
were immigrants who first moved to Danville in 1868. This family made a
meaningful contribution to the community by running both the hotel and a 162
acre farm located near the present day McCauley Road.
7. Criteria g: The structure is above average in architectural design and detail for
the period in which it was built.
8. Criteria h: The Danville Hotel has always represented an important local
landmark and is an established visual feature of the community.
9. Criteria is The structure on the site is currently located on Lots 2 and 3 of Block 3
of the Plat Map of Danville which was recorded by John Hartz in 1891, and was
Danville's first subdivision that has evolved over time to become Danville's
downtown core. It is also a part of a collection of buildings in Danville that was
once known as the Danville Territories.
APPROVED by the Danville Town Council at a regular meeting held on October 20,
2015, by the following vote:
AYES: Doyle, Stepper, Arnerich, Morgan, Storer
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: None
MAYOR
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ATTEST:
TOWN ATTORNEY CITY CLERK
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