Padre Hotel, hotel in Bakersfield, California
The Padre Hotel is an eight-story building in downtown Bakersfield, California, featuring Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with arches, stucco walls, and decorative tile accents. It originally contained 196 rooms and includes a restaurant on the ground level, with a bar that has remained a gathering space throughout its history.
The hotel opened on April 12, 1928, and was the largest building in Bakersfield at that time. It survived major earthquakes in 1952 that heavily damaged the city, then declined through the 1960s before undergoing restoration in the 2000s.
The hotel's name references Spanish colonial heritage, and its design reflects the cultural identity of the region. Visitors can observe how the architecture, with its arches, decorative tiles, and stucco details, remains a tangible expression of the area's past.
The hotel sits at the corner of 18th and H streets downtown and is easy to reach on foot. The area offers straightforward access to shops, restaurants, and parks, making it a practical base for exploring the neighborhood.
Owner Milton Miller, who bought the hotel in 1954, placed a fake missile on the roof in the 1960s pointing at City Hall to express his frustration with city regulations. This unusual gesture made him a memorable character in the hotel's history and the city's story.
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