Forest Hill Hotel, Pacific Grove

Forest Hill Hotel is an historic hotel in Pacific Grove, California. It was opened on July 1, 1926 and is one of the highest buildings in Pacific Grove. It is currently the Pacific Grove Senior Living.

History
The Forest Hill Hotel at Pacific Grove, California was designed by architect George Rushforth in a simplified Mediterranean Revival-style architecture. The hotel was built for retired businessman Samuel S. Parsons for $300,000. The C. L. Wold Company construction company of San Francisco was the builder. It was under construction when it was unveiled on July 1, 1926. It is located on two blocks at 551 Gibson Avenue and Forest Avenue, in Pacific Grove.

The five story structure has 100-rooms, and was constructed with a foundation of reinforced concrete. The hotel lobby includes open terraces at both the front and rear, as well as public and private dining areas, a ladies' parlor, and a lounge. The public rooms are paneled with Philippine mahogany, with tile floors.

When built, it ranked among the largest structures in Pacific Grove and had 180-degree panoramic view of Monterey Bay. It quickly achieved a fully-booked status. There is a park and community center near the hotel; Parsons funded the building of tennis courts.

The hotel fulfilled a need for a large inn, as previously there were only smaller inns, rooming houses, and cottage courts in Pacific Grove. The hotel was part of the development of the area in the 1920s, at a time of rising automobile tourists as well as increased year-round residents.

When Parsons died in 1946, his widow sold the hotel in February 1947 to a consortium of investors led by Luther E. Rodgers, Abraham H. Berk, and Louis Gross. Rodgers became the resident manager for the hotel in the same year. In 1948, Rodgers reintroduced the Maple Room, a dining room in the hotel. By 1951, the Gross family became managers of the hotel and established extended stays at weekly rates.

Around the middle of 1954, the Gross family placed the hotel on the market, and it was sold to the Methodist Church who renamed it Forest Hill Manor. While under the management of the Church, it operated without denominational prerequisites. Individuals interested in residing there would secure a lifelong lease, with prices ranging between $5,000 and $7,000,. In August 1955, advertisements for "Forest Hill Manor, under the ownership and operation of California-Nevada Methodist Homes," emerged in various newspapers. Marketed as a "Joyful Retirement Residence," it presented 100 accommodations with medical professionals and nursing staff present. Years afterward, the new proprietors initiated a phase of growth. They introduced a wood-and-stucco wing in 1959, followed by the incorporation of a medical facility.

Recently, Aura Senior Living, owner of the Park Lane facility in Monterey, acquired the establishment.