Hotel Metropole, former hotel building in Santa Cruz, California, USA
Hotel Metropole is a former commercial and residential building in Italianate style built in 1908 in Santa Cruz. The structure originally contained 48 guest rooms plus ground-floor spaces that housed a hat shop, grocery store, and offices for local businesses.
Built in 1908 by Duncan McPherson, a newspaper publisher, the hotel operated for decades as both lodging and commercial space. It underwent several name changes and uses before being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and was severely damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
The site is located downtown near Pacific Garden Mall in Santa Cruz. It is easily accessible on foot and was a central point in the city's historic business district.
The building featured pressed-metal ornamentation instead of more expensive Victorian plasterwork, with acanthus-leaf cornices and pediments above the third-floor windows. These details demonstrated how early commercial construction achieved a practical balance with decorative elements.
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