Touraine Hotel (Closed)
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
At the corner of 16th and Clay Streets, the old Touraine Hotel signs were still hanging on when this photo was taken. They look a little weatherbeaten, just as the building itself did. It is easy to picture someone spotting the signs from down the block and heading over to ask about a room.
Touraine Hotel
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
The seven-story Touraine opened in 1915 with 108 rooms for travelers and people staying longer in downtown Oakland. Architect Henry H. Meyers designed the brick building, which spent decades as a familiar part of the neighborhood. The signs in this photo are a reminder of those hotel years.
The 1989 earthquake damaged the building, and it was vacated. Oakland purchased it in 1991, then had the old masonry reinforced so the building could serve a new purpose. It was renamed for Henry Robinson, a local pastor and advocate for people experiencing homelessness.
UPDATE: The former hotel now operates as the Henry Robinson Center, providing transitional housing. The building survives and the two signs appear to be restored. 09-26
Hotel Del Rio
Rio Vista, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
There is a martini glass glowing above the Hotel Del Rio sign, and that is enough to make this old Delta hotel worth a second look. The green-and-white neon advertised more than a place to spend the night. With a card room inside, the Del Rio offered a little entertainment after the drive. The hotel opened in 1949.
Despite the old Rio Vista caption, the Hotel Del Rio is actually in nearby Isleton, across the river. It is an easy mix-up when traveling between the little towns of the Sacramento Delta. The martini glass makes this particular stop harder to forget.
The hotel and card room have since closed, but the building and its sign remain. Whether the neon still lights up regularly is uncertain. Even switched off, that glass at the top tells a story about the place’s livelier days.
UPDATE: The Hotel Del Rio is closed, while its distinctive sign still hangs on the building in Isleton. 09-26
Will Rogers Hotel (Closed)
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
The Will Rogers Hotel had the sort of downtown Oakland look that could have come from an old movie. A worn marquee hung over the sidewalk, while fire escapes zigzagged down the brick facade. Add a rainy night and a few headlights on 13th Street, and the scene would be complete.
The building opened around 1907 as the Hotel St. George. By the mid-1940s it was known as the Will Rogers Hotel, a name that stayed on the building for years. It later served as a residential hotel, though by the early 2000s the place had fallen on hard times.
Following a fatal fire in 2002, the building closed. A lengthy renovation eventually brought it back as a Clarion Hotel in 2009. The brick building survived, but the old marquee and exterior fire escapes seen in this photo came down during the work.
UPDATE: The former Will Rogers building still stands on 13th Street. Its movie-set look has changed, making this photo a good reminder of the hotel’s earlier days. 09-26
Key Hotel (Demolished)
Emeryville, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
The old Key Hotel had plenty to advertise along San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville. Signs pointed out the hotel, club
room and card room, offering a room upstairs and a place to spend some time downstairs. The lettering in this photo looks as though it may once have carried neon. By the time the camera caught it, the place already had that worn, slightly mysterious look that makes an old roadside hotel worth a second glance.
The three-story building went up in 1906 as the Santa Fe Hotel. It became the Key Hotel in 1938, while the ground floor grew into a neighborhood stop of its own. What began as the Key Cafe & Cigar Store, with a card room in back, developed into the Key Club, with a bar and card room drawing people in from the street.
Key Hotel
Emeryville, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
For years, the hotel and club shared the building. Someone could walk past the signs on San Pablo Avenue, stop in for the evening, or head upstairs for a room. The Key closed in 1988, but the building lingered vacant for more than a decade. Its old signs stayed with it for a while, even after the conversations inside had ended.
UPDATE: The Key Hotel and neighboring King Hotel were demolished in 2002. Condominiums and shops now occupy the site. 09-26
Metropolitan Hotel
San Francisco, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
The Metropolitan Hotel still has a Streamline marquee pointing the way to its lobby. Look for it in South San Francisco, despite the old caption placing the hotel in San Francisco itself. The sign gives the entrance a little extra flair, just the thing to catch someone walking past on Linden Avenue.
The building opened in 1914 as the Martin Building, named for William J. Martin, a leading figure in the development of South San Francisco. Its upper floors offered rooms for local workers, while shops occupied the street level. For a time, it was the largest and tallest commercial building in town. The Metropolitan Hotel name arrived in the 1940s.
The upper floors now provide residential housing, and the storefront spaces remain in use. The old lobby marquee has stayed put through the changes, still pointing visitors toward an entrance that once welcomed hotel guests.
UPDATE: The former Metropolitan Hotel remains in use in South San Francisco, with its vintage marquee still outside. 09-26
Commercial Hotel (Demolished)
Stockton, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
The Commercial Hotel stood along Main Street in Stockton for nearly 150 years. Built in 1875 with two stories, it gained a third just a few years later. Over time, shops and a saloon occupied the ground floor, while hotel rooms filled the floors above.
By the time this photo was taken, the building had seen better days. Safety problems led to its closure in the early 2000s, and it sat boarded up for years. Even so, the old hotel remained a familiar piece of the downtown streetscape.
UPDATE: A fire tore through the vacant Commercial Hotel on June 6, 2025. The damaged remains were demolished later that month, ending the building’s long run on Main Street. 09-26
Touraine Hotel (Closed)
Touraine Hotel
Hotel Del Rio
Will Rogers Hotel (Closed)
Metropolitan Hotel
Commercial Hotel (Demolished)
