Benbow Historic Inn
The Benbow Historic Inn, a Garberville resort in the redwoods, was designed by architect Albert Farr, who was most noted for The Wolf House—the home he designed for author Jack London in Glen Ellen, CA. Farr was commissioned by the Benbow family to create the cornerstone for the resort community they intended to build in their 1,290 acre valley.
The “Hotel Benbow” (as it was originally called) opened to the public in July of 1926. Built by the Benbow family—nine talented brothers and sisters who also constructed the Benbow Dam, Power Company, and later, the Golf Course and RV Park. The hotel became a popular destination for motoring tourists traveling up the newly-completed Redwood Highway.
The combination of seclusion and elegant hospitality also served as quite an attraction for the early Hollywood elite. Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Alan Ladd, Charles Laughton, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, Joan Fontaine, Basil Rathbone were all patrons of the Inn. Dignitaries such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and Lord Halifax also enjoyed the Benbow hospitality.
Benbow Historic Inn
The Benbow Historic Inn, a Garberville resort in the redwoods, was designed by architect Albert Farr, who was most noted for The Wolf House—the home he designed for author Jack London in Glen Ellen, CA. Farr was commissioned by the Benbow family to create the cornerstone for the resort community they intended to build in their 1,290 acre valley.
The “Hotel Benbow” (as it was originally called) opened to the public in July of 1926. Built by the Benbow family—nine talented brothers and sisters who also constructed the Benbow Dam, Power Company, and later, the Golf Course and RV Park. The hotel became a popular destination for motoring tourists traveling up the newly-completed Redwood Highway.
The combination of seclusion and elegant hospitality also served as quite an attraction for the early Hollywood elite. Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Alan Ladd, Charles Laughton, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, Joan Fontaine, Basil Rathbone were all patrons of the Inn. Dignitaries such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and Lord Halifax also enjoyed the Benbow hospitality.