Thursday Doors 38/52 West Cliff Inn

Posted in Architecture, Nikon, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged , , , , , , ,

Copyright ©2016 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

After photographing the Harvest Moon (image here) last Friday night I was walking up the hill to the car when I couldn’t help but notice, and remark how lovely the West Cliff Inn looked all lit up, and her transom window over the entry door looked lovely too.

My friend replied, “There’s your next door!”.    Don’t you love friends that support our thing for doors? I do! 🙂

West Cliff Inn/Lynch House Santa Cruz, CA

West Cliff Inn- Lynch House

For the History Buffs:

“Most of those who descended on California during the Gold Rush never struck it rich. One exception was prospector Sedgewick Lynch, a carpenter-turned-49er who made his fortune in the gold fields, then made his way to Santa Cruz. Lynch continued to use his carpentry skills; he built the original Santa Cruz wharf, among other local projects.

In 1877, Lynch built his family manse on a bluff with a commanding view of the ocean, just a short walk from the lighthouse.  The Lynch House was among the town’s most prominent residences, constructed for the then-startlingly high cost of $12,000. The house was initially the only home on the cliff, but by the turn of the century, similarly grand neighbors joined it, giving birth to the nickname “Millionaires’ Row.”

Over the next hundred years, the Lynch House morphed from family home to hospital, to office space and vacation rental.  By 2004, it was dilapidated. But the Italianate Grand Dame of West Cliff Drive was in luck; the new owners wanted to save the historic property, so they undertook a complete renovation to the building.

Four Sisters Inn’s President Shelley Post collaborated on every phase of the rehabilitation project, and her strong knowledge of what guests want influenced many design decisions. For example, soaking in a large tub after a long day at the beach is on Shelley’s list of favorite things, which is why almost every room soon had a deep soaking tub.

Work began in 2004, and by June of 2007, the Lynch House was as beautiful as ever, ready to welcome Santa Cruz visitors under her new name: Four Sisters Inns.”~westcliffinn.com

~westcliffinn.com

I remember when the house was looking quite run down. I am so happy it was restored and converted to  a B&B and preserved as an Historical Landmark in 2007. It looks beautiful today.

Nikon Df| Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G| Delkin Digital Film| PS CC 2015.5

This post is part of Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors.  If you love doors and would like to see the doors others are posting, or post doors you’ve photographed and join other door lovers from around the world click here.

At the end of Norm’s latest Thursday Door post is a little Blue Link-up/View button click it to be taken to a page with all the links to view all the posts, and add your own if you’re a door enthusiast too.

More to come…

 

39 thoughts on “Thursday Doors 38/52 West Cliff Inn”

  1. 🙋 Here is this I would like to give you. Deborah !!!
    The Doors that welcome
    The Doors that send you out into the World
    The Doors that let you in every night and day
    The Doors that are remembered but cannot be forgotten
    The Doors are rightfully placed
    The Doors are what we are proud of
    The Doors are the only rightful entrance
    The Doors are sacred item of a building our home
    The Doors are those we cannot ignore of
    The Doors are open to people with open hearts
    The Doors are closed to people with closed hearts.

    Thanks so much for taking
    Pains in posting the images of beautiful DOORS.
    HUGS
    😃👌👍🙋💟

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. I’ve been getting a few non-blogging friends on board with the Thursday Doors concept too!
    That building is pretty impressive – for its appearance and for all its history. Definitely a good pick 🙂

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  11. What a beautiful building! And what a story! Carpenter makes a fortune prospecting for gold and builds his own McMansion. And how satisfying, that the building has been appreciated and renovated. Another stop on my ever-growing bucket list!

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  12. It’s a charming place. Transom window? – check. Wrap around veranda? – check. Matching balcony? – check. Rounded front windows? – check. It would have been a shame to lose it. I’m always happy when an old treasure can be restored to glory 🙂

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  14. Not surprisingly most of the people who did make their fortune in the California and Yukon gold rushes were not the prospectors but the merchants who sold them their supplies!
    What a wonderful happy-ending story about this house, not to mention a lovely door find.
    If I’m ever out that way again I will certainly check this place out.

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  16. Lovely door today (and house), Deborah and thanks so much for the history. I’m so glad this house was pulled back from the brink. The light in the left pane almost looks like a full moon rising, especially given that the right pane looks onto the dark stairs. I also like the stone walls and the outside stairs. If forced to do so, I think I could live there 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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