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 The Pelican Inn 

The Pelican Inn designed by Charles Felix, a European native, in 1979 was built to closely resemble 16th century English architecture. The inn is a haven for tourists looking to escape modernization by providing designs mirroring those of the Tudor dynasty and creating a pre-industrial, medieval feel. Located just a quick twenty minutes from one of California’s most popular landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge, and just off of the scenic Highway one, the Pelican Inn resonates a feel of invented tradition and a pre-modernized world.

History Nestled on the cusp of the Golden Gate Recreation Park, exploding with 16th century designs and an abundance of flora and fauna, is a tall standing inn known as the Pelican Inn. The inn was built to closely resemble British architecture with its vintage beams and Tudor-style brickwork. Charles Felix derived the Pelican Inn’s name from the landing of Sir Francis Drake ’s ship “The Pelican” at nearby cove, Muir Beach. Setting sail out of Plymouth, England in November 1577, Sir Francis Drake left to challenge the Spanish rule of Philip II with the guidance of Queen Elizabeth I on his back. Once docking at Muir Beach and claiming it for Queen Elizabeth I, Drake continued on his infamous voyage and was later labeled the first englishman to circumnavigate the world. Centuries later, following a long ancestry of innkeepers, Felix decided to design this inn based on not only his rich English history but the surrounding beach’s as well as it reminded him of the coastal climate of Plymouth and thus came the emergence of The Pelican Inn. Design and Cultural Significance Being built in the late 1900’s, the Pelican Inn was designed to replicate the architecture of 16th century England. With intricate brickwork and hand-crafted glass windows, it resembles that of the Tudor-style of the 1500’s. Tudor style encompassed an influx of medieval and renaissance designs into England during the Tudor dynasty. Although this desired English-Tudor look was met, the building also imitates that of various other styles. Walking through the entryway is a porthole window made to give a nautical feel like that of Sir Francis Drake’s ship. Other windows are small and square located sporadically around the structure as well as some larger divided into six sections embodying the feel of the Blackwell house constructed by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott in England’s Lake District. On the outside, the two buildings look strikingly similar with their stark-white exterior, chocolate-brown perimeter, and extensive flower beds surrounding. This look is derived from the Arts and Crafts movement which emerged in the Americas and Europe between 1880 and 1920. The movement demonstrated an anti-industrial reform with designs taken from the medieval, romantic, and renaissance, folk eras. Hanging light fixtures on both the exterior and interior of the Pelican symbolize those of the 16th century, medieval times while hundred year old imported carpets appear to be those of the romantic era. The second floor of the inn is where the majority of rooms are located each with their individual doors and coinciding numbers. The doors themselves are petite, around five foot nine inches in height. The doors are another example of the old English style of this building. In England in the 16th century, the main source of wood was primarily used for ship building rendering any excess wood expensive and unattainable resulting in short doors which in turn helped maintain the integrity of buildings as any opening would weaken them. Outside is a vibrant scene of green, the Pelican overlooks a broad lawn with thick shrubs and an illustrious selection of flowers. One in particular is the calla lily, a cream white flower whose meaning originates in many versions one being within Roman mythology where Venus at the sight of a calla lily, viewed her beauty as threatened by its beautiful blossom so she cursed the flower with an “unsightly pistil.” This meaning can be tied to a wooden sign hanging in the parlor of the inn where it is written “A night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury.” This quote translates to one night with a beautiful woman costs a lifetime treating the incurable disease of syphilis with mercury chloride or calomel. Though the meanings stray, the Roman mythology connection is there representing the overall past time feel. Many unassuming connections can be made between various decorations throughout the inn. Perched beside the entryway hallway is a frail wooden chair with a red cushion. The chair’s design harkens to that of the Elizabethan era of the 1500’s and early 1600’s. This is significant because at this time Queen Elizabeth I ruled and one of her values as a ruler was  further integrating Tudor aesthetics like those of the Arts and Crafts movement to England.

Surrounding Environment

Surrounding the Pelican Inn are several scenic viewpoints and recreational sites. Muir Beach, a cove located on the Pacific Coast is an example of this attractive landscape. Shaped by the climate and surrounding nature, Muir Beach was home to an abundance of wildlife and the people of the Coast Miwok tribe. Previously known as Bello beach, Muir Beach was purchased by a Portuguese man named Antonio Bello around 1918 for a ten dollar piece of gold. Bello’s use of the land was primarily for establishing a hotel and common cabins which later burnt down after which the property was bought by the California State Parks in the 1960s. Just to the north of the beach is an overlook used during World War II for soldiers to view incoming ships. The main road connecting each site is Highway 1. Constructed by MD John L.D. Roberts of New York in 1919, the main purpose of the road was the ability to travel from his house in Monterey to patients in need in a timely manner. With the funds accounted for road work began. Three prison camps were set up to allow San Quentin inmates, a local prison, to work on the road, the camps were located by Little Sur River, Kirk Creek, and Anderson Creek. Construction was invasive to the land as dynamite was blasted through the tough, granite rock but eventually it was completed. The road often requires repair from landslides in this fragile environment. The highway now stretches from the Pacific coastline from Baja to the top of the Olympic Peninsula.

References


 * 1) The Pelican Inn, History and About
 * 2) Nautilator,  'One night with Venus gets you a lifetime with Mercury'? Fun Trivia December 22, 2016
 * 3) Jim Wood, Muir Beach (Marin Magazine June 2008)
 * 4) Jeanne Cooper, Pelican Inn (Press Reader, San Francisco Chronicle May 22, 2016)
 * 5) Duncan Wallbank, ‘Why are doorways in England so low?’ (Quora December 26, 2017)
 * 6) Eric Daniels, History and Meaning of Calla Lilies (Pro Flowers January 15, 2019)
 * 7) National Park Service, Muir Beach and Muir Beach Overlook (March 4, 2019)
 * 8) Rickie Longfellow, Back in Time: California’s Pacific Coast Highway-Highway One (U.S Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration: Highway History June 27, 2017)
 * 9) Murphy, Kevin The Tudor Home, Rizzoli International Publications, Incorporated, Oct 9, 2018
 * 10) Kaplan, Wendy The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America: Design for the Modern World 1880-1920, Thames & Hudson; 1st edition (December 17, 2004)