The Eagle House Victorian Inn

The Eagle House was built on 2nd and C Street by Finnish emigrants Henry and Elvira Tornroth in 1886. Originally it was a modest hotel and restaurant until additions began in 1888 to compete with the upscale Grand Hotel that was built across the street. In 1893 the building was split in half with one half moved north along C Street and the other half moved west along 2nd Street. A three story edifice was built using the original portions of the Eagle House as wings. The end result was a stick-style building with Victorian details.

In 1907 after Henry Elvira's death the building was sold to a group of business partners who leased it out. It was opened as The Buon Gusto Restaurant and Tavern. The rest of the building was used as a boarding house. The building was again resold in the 1960’s and then remained empty during most of the 1970's. In the 1980's the building was again sold and purchased by a set of partners. Restoration and reconstruction began adding back the 2nd Street wing addition and a new roof tower. In 1994 the guest rooms were redecorated and antiques from around the world were purchased for Eagle House. A fourth floor for a private penthouse was added for the owner's, giving the building 32,000 square feet.

The Pink Lady of Eureka

Located on 2nd Street and M and across the street from the Carson Mansion in Eureka is this Classic Queen Anne Eastlake style Victorian home known as "The Pink Lady". Designed by the famed San Francisco Newsom Brothers and architects of the Carson Mansion, the Pink Lady was built in 1889 by William Carson as a wedding gift to his son J. Milton Carson. During the 1940's the property left the Carson family and became a boarding house and eventually fell into disrepair. In 1963 the property was purchased by Robert Madsen, a local real estate broker and former city councilman and mayor of Eureka. It was immediately restored to its former glory and has been looked after and maintained by the Madsen family ever since. During the restorations in 1963-1964, a decision to paint the mansion bright pink was made in order to contrast its color with the dark color of the Carson Mansion.

I've also read on the internet that over the years the house had many owners. It was sold by J. Milton Carson in 1920 and was operated as a boarding house by two sisters in Germany who had inherited the property. In 1942 it was seized as Nazi property by the U.S. government and later sold at public auction in 1951 to Lloyd Bridges and Associates. He was the father of actor Lloyd Bridges.


I much preferred this smaller pink mansion with its domed turret to the large and ostentatious Carson Mansion. While both are exquisite and beautiful, the Pink Lady seems a bit more unpretentious and homey! The mansion is a private residence and tours are not available.

I shot these images near sunset and like the way the golden light makes the pink glow!

Historic Vance Hotel, Eureka, Ca.

The historic Vance Hotel at 525 Second Street in Eureka, Ca. was built in 1871-1872 by John Vance, pioneer Humboldt County Lumberman. In 1879 Eureka's first electric lights in a commercial building were installed in the Vance Hotel. The Vance Hotel was renovated in 2000 by owners Kurt and Kim Kramer and Rob and Cherie Arkley. The building's elements are Italianate and is the second largest timber-framed structure remaining in California. The Vance Hotel now houses various shops and restaurants and the rooms are used as office spaces.

The Oberon Grill, Eureka, Ca.

We ate brunch at the Oberon on Tuesday morning after a late start . I had their mushroom & sausage omelet with country potatoes and a scone. It was divine!

The Oberon was originally built in the 1860's by C.S. Ricks. The building has changed faces many times over the years. It has been a hardware store, tin smith store, speak easy, YMCA, antique store, pet shop, housewares store, and a saloon. Businessman Dick Tierney leased the property in 1905 and opened the most upscale drinking establisment.of the time. The Oberon became the choice for travelers staying at the Vance Hotel situated across the street. At one time a lady named Ruby owned and ran a brothel located above the Oberon Saloon. Such a colorful history!




There is an old photo in a gold frame hanging on the wall in the dinning room that shows just how well the Oberon's details have been restored. I noticed that the light fixture in the photo and the one hanging in the dinning area are almost identical except for a few minor changes to the class shades. The custom tilework for the original saloon can still be seen along the sidewalk in the front of the building.

516 2nd St
Eureka, CA 95501
(707) 443-3663
http://www.oberongrill.com/

Carter House Inns & Restaurant 301, Eureka, Ca.

The original Carter House was built in San Francisco and known as the Murphy House. It was designed by the famous Newsome Brothers of San Francisco in 1884-1885, the same architects who designed the Carson Mansion and The Pink Lady for William Carson. The 1906 San Francesco earthquake and fire destroyed the structure and it was never rebuilt. Now flash forward to 1978 when Mark Carter found the plans in a Eureka antique store and decided to build this house in Eureka as a home for his family. The house was completed in 1982 with the building taking longer to build than anticipated and coming in over budget. To help offset some of the costs incurred, the Carters decided to open the doors of their new home as an Inn and a restaurant.


The Carter House Inns & Restaurant 301 is comprised of four Victorian style buildings set alongside Humboldt Bay on 301 L Street. www.carterhouse.com. All four buildings are very pleasing to the eye and architecturally stunning!.

The Samoa Cookhouse, Eureka, Ca.

Our trip to Eureka, California began on September 7, 2009. After being on the road since 3:00 am, we arrived in Eureka in the late afternoon and headed for the Samoa Cookhouse for some lumber camp style chow! We were quite tired and famished by the time we arrived in Eureka and on a recommendation from my mother, we decided to dine at the historical big red cookhouse. We took the Samoa bridge off Hwy 101 and turned left onto Samoa Blvd and then took the first left into the parking lot.

The Samoa Cookhouse was founded in 1893 for mill and dockworkers and is one of the last lumber camp style cookhouses still in operation in North America. The cookhouse was originally opened as part of Samoa, which was one of the last company owned towns in the United States and established by the Vance Lumber Company. It began serving the public in the late 1960's.

The cookhouse serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Beware, there are no menus! Everyone eats the same meal which is prepared "family style" or as the cookhouse refers to it "lumber camp style". Family and strangers sit together in simple lumber camp style surroundings that include long wooden tables covered with red & white checkered table cloths. After your server takes your drink order, your food is served to you in courses. The first course is soup and bread, followed by salad. The main dishes are served after the soup & salad course and if you still have room left, it's time for desert!

The food is served hot in large serving bowls and platters that are ready to be passed around the table and shared. The servers come by often to ask if anyone would like seconds and inquire if you're ready for the next course. On the evening we were there we were served vegetable soup with bread, a dinner salad, boneless fried chicken, roasted pork, bake potatoes, gravy, and corn. We had to pass on the desert, as we were stuffed and completely satisfied!

There is also a museum inside the cookhouse that we browsed through while we waited to be seated. The museum consists of antique logging artifiacts, lumber camp and cookhouse ware, and old photos. There's also a guest book inside the museum where folks can sign their names and comment on their experience at the cookhouse.

I highly recommend the Samoa Cookhouse for their great food and a fun change of pace!