Sundial Lodge

The Sundial Lodge is a historic Medieval Revival-style hotel in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

History


Allen Knight, still in his 20s, inherited a portion of the land on Monte Verde Street from his parents who purchased three lots on Monte Verde Street and 7th Avenue. Knight's aunt Alys Miller, Mary L. Hamlin, and Knight jointly owned the Sundial lodge, also known at that time as the Sundial Court Apartments. Hamlin became the first president and manager of the building. She managed the property through the Great Depression and the early years of the World War II. During this period, some of the shop space underwent a transformation into galleries, and specific apartments were repurposed to serve as artists' studios.

The hotel officially opened on June 1, 1930.

Design
Knight commissioned Albert L. Farr to design the apartment building based on the drawings he brought back with him from Europe. Michael J. Murphy completed the construction on the property in 1930.

The Sundial Lodge is a three-story, wood framed Medieval Revival style hotel built around an interior courtyard. The exterior walls have smooth cement stucco. It has five interior stucco-clad chimneys.

The building was designed to accommodate thirteen small apartments, each with three rooms, along with eight one-room-with-bath units suitable for both male and female bachelors. The Sundial Court, constructed around a central courtyard, featured a three-story height on its western side, facing the sea, and a two-story height for the rest of the structure.

Historical significance
The Sundial Lodge meets the city's Community Planning & Building Department criteria for a historic resource. The city nominated it, and the submission to the California Register of Historical Resources took place December 5, 2002.

The Sundial Lodge meets the California Register criteria in the area architecture as one of the few remaining Medieval Revival visitor accommodating facilities from the late 1920s and early 1930s that retains its original exterior appearance. It is also important as the creation of San Francisco architect Albert L. Farr. The period of significance is from 1903 to 1940. The Lodge is also listed in the city's Inventory of Historic Resources.