Piedmont Springs Hotel

Walter Blair built the Piedmont Springs Hotel in 1872 as a two-story white clapboard building with 20 bedrooms, two suites, five dining rooms, and the Grand Saloon, and cottages added in 1887 increased its capacity. At 9:15 a.m. on November 17, 1892, a fire in the chimney spread to the roof and brought the hotel to a sudden end. Chemical Engine #1 did not arrive from Oakland until 11:30 a.m. to contain the fire, and with no water supply the occupants could do nothing but sit in the shade and watch the building burn. At the extreme end of the building, heavy oaken doors opened from the spacious veranda into the Grand Saloon, where a huge mirror reflected rows of glass tumblers behind the long mahogany bar, barrel-backed chairs lined the walls beside heavy brown spittoons, a billiard table stood in the center, and an oversized pot-bellied coal-burning stove stood at one side.

Piedmont, California · United States