Sutter Hotel (Gone)
Oakland, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

At the corner of 14th and Jefferson in Oakland, the vertical sign for the Sutter Hotel still hangs against the brick facade. It is one of those old downtown hotel signs that can send a glance upward while the rest of the block goes about its day. The building has been there since 1914, when guests first checked in under proprietor J. T. Redmon.

Oakland architect Clay N. Burrell designed the hotel during a busy period of downtown construction. Over the decades, it became a residential hotel as well as a place for short stays. Its tall marquee remains a familiar part of the corner, though whether the neon still lights at night is unclear.

The future of hotels like this one has been a question across downtown Oakland. Plans to change the Sutter's use led to a dispute over protections for long-term residents. The building, however, has not become loft apartments. It continues to offer budget lodging beneath the old sign.

UPDATE: Since 2022 the blade sign has letters saying FOUND and the old hotel lettering is now gone. 09-26

Plaza Hotel
Watsonville, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Across from the city plaza in Watsonville, the Plaza Hotel has a simple way of announcing itself. Big block letters spelling “HOTEL” sit high on the front of the building, easy to spot from the street. No flashing arrow or fancy neon needed here.

The hotel occupies a downtown corner near Beach and Union streets, where the plaza has long been a gathering place. The building’s lettering gives the facade a straightforward old commercial look, though it is unclear when those letters were installed.

UPDATE: The Plaza Hotel still stands, and its big “HOTEL” letters remain in place. Today it provides monthly residential lodging rather than traditional short stays, giving the old building an ongoing role downtown. 09-26

Flamingo Hotel
Santa Rosa, CA
Photo courtesy Heather David

There is no mistaking the Flamingo Hotel sign along Fourth Street in Santa Rosa. A pink neon bird sits high above the road on its tall pedestal, ready to catch the eye of anyone passing by. The hotel opened in June 1957, and the flamingo took its place atop the sign about a month later. 09-08

Developer Hugh Codding envisioned the hotel as a garden retreat, with architect Homer Rissman arranging its wings around a curving swimming pool. The opening drew a crowd of some 900 guests, including a few Hollywood faces. For a while, the Flamingo brought a touch of resort glamour to this stretch of Santa Rosa.

The bird did take a long break from its perch. After nearly 20 years away, the spinning flamingo returned to the top of the sign in May 1997. It is hard to imagine the roadside view without that pink figure watching over Fourth Street.

UPDATE: The hotel continues to welcome guests as the Flamingo Resort & Spa. The property has been renovated, while its landmark tower and restored neon bird remain out front. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. 09-26

Oliver Hotel (Closed)
Santa Rosa, CA
Photo courtesy Scott Strickland

In Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square, the faded vertical sign for the Oliver Hotel still hangs from an old brick building on Fourth Street. The hotel is long gone, but the sign has held onto its spot above the sidewalk. Its worn lettering looks right at home among the older storefronts near the railroad tracks. 10-09

The building went up around 1910, during Santa Rosa’s rebuilding after the 1906 earthquake. Its clinker brick facade gives it plenty of texture, even before the old “HOTEL” sign comes into view. Travelers once stayed upstairs, with the railroad and downtown close at hand.

Hotel rooms eventually gave way to other uses, and the ground floor has housed a succession of restaurants and bars. Through those changes, the sign remained attached to the building. It may no longer be guiding anyone to a room for the night, but it still tells passersby what this corner used to be.

UPDATE: The former Oliver Hotel remains part of Railroad Square, with its faded vertical sign still on the facade. The building has found new uses while keeping a visible piece of its hotel days out front. 09-26

Hotel Petaluma (Rem.)
Petaluma, CA
Photo courtesy Rod Holcomb

The entrance sign for Hotel Petaluma still welcomes visitors along Kentucky Street. Construction began in 1923, and the downtown hotel opened the following year. 12-10

Built with help from local investors, the hotel became a gathering place for travelers and agricultural buyers during Petaluma’s “Egg Basket of the World” days. A large vertical sign once climbed the facade, but it disappeared years ago.

UPDATE: After a major restoration, Hotel Petaluma remains open. The sign has been modified. 09-26