Tioga Hotel

The Tioga Hotel is a historic hotel building located at 1715 N St. in Merced, California. Built in 1928, the hotel is the largest building in Merced. The hotel's architecture reflects the transitional design common in 1920s hotels, which were moving away from the Classical Revival designs used in hotels in the past. In addition, the building boasted Merced's first neon sign. The Tioga Hotel was a grand hotel which hosted prominent guests, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Mary Pickford, and various foreign royalty. During World War II, the hotel played a role in the war effort; the U.S. Air Force used a floor of the building for offices, and various organizations held wartime fundraisers in its lobby and ballrooms. After the war, manager Gyle Miller returned the hotel to its former prominence; in the following decades, the hotel hosted film stars and served as a center for agricultural trade. The rise of automobile travel ultimately led to the hotel's decline, and it was converted to a residential apartment building.[2]

Tioga Hotel
Location1715 N St., Merced, California
Coordinates37°18′8″N 120°29′8″W
Area0.4 acres (0.16 ha)
Built1928 (1928)
ArchitectMcLeran, Ralph, & Co.
Architectural styleRenaissance
NRHP reference No.80000821[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 3, 1980

The Tioga Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 3, 1980.[1] In 2011, financial discrepancies were discovered resulting in a discovery of an embezzlement operation and the arrest of the property manager, James M. Hiestand. After being taken over by new management In 2012, it was revealed that a massive cockroach infestation had taken over the hotel prompting residents to form a union and threaten a lawsuit if nothing was done. In response, the hotel temporarily seized the renewing of any leases for residents as well as the leases of the neighboring shops who rent space on the ground floor. [3]

In April 2018, a $15 million renovation project began that will transform the building back into the hotel it once was.[4]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Kobrin, Neil. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form". Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  3. Parsons, Rob (September 27, 2013). "New hearing set in Tioga embezzlement case". The Modesto Bee. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  4. "RENOVATIONS START AT THE TIOGA HOTEL". mercedgwnews.com. June 7, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2020.


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