We have a new old hotel in town and Bakersfield is all atwitter. The Hotel Padre has been remodeled and is open for business. Why is this a big deal? Do check on this link and read the colorful history of the Padre. I’ll add a couple of things - Spartacus Miller didn’t want to comply with the building code that fire sprinklers be put on all the floors, so he simply closed them. For many years, no one went above the second floor of the 8-story hotel. The “EL” on the hotel sign was burned out, so we always saw the Hot Padre rather than Hotel Padre.
Here’s a look at the old Padre:
You can see the Alamo sign on top and the “ston” of tombstone. Also note that this Hot Padre offered television!
I wish I had a photo with the missile on top, but then back in the 80s or 90s, when I took these pictures, using actual film, I never thought about the Hot Padre without the missile and the Alamo Tombstone sign – they were just always there!
It’s pretty cleaned up today. (We had a nice sky today when I took these photos.) See the blue and the striped awnings on ground level? This is what they looked like in the old days.
Like the article I linked to says, the Town Casino was quite the place. I loved that bar. If there was ever a place where everyone could be comfortable, this was it. You could come in wearing a business suit, or a man could come in with a bra on top of his shirt (I saw that one), and no one blinked an eye. The fake girl in the bathtub was on kind of a shelf-type thing up near the ceiling. Ernie was playing the piano, the place was full of smoke (which, somehow, that was the only place I could tolerate that), and you could just relax, have a drink, and maybe another drink.
Talk about dated – here’s a photo of the tile work in that photo above.
I love it. I adore kitschy things from that era. But that is gone and today we have a brand new Hot Padre with some equally interesting decor. It’s being established as a boutique hotel with character.
Not as much character as the Hot Padre or the Alamo Tombstone, but nice enough. Ready to walk through the doors?
The doors on the other side have valet parking! That’s probably how they got around the decided lack of parking spaces for guests. The green arches in the back are windows of the Belvedere, a restaurant. Want to be a guest? Let’s check in.
Gotta say, I love this cowgirl. While we wait for our room, let’s have some coffee in the Farmacy and enjoy the ceiling.
Have to go downstairs for the restroom. But men and women use the same sinks which makes so much sense.
Women are on the side you can see. Then if you’re hungry you can grab a quick snack at the Farmacy, get a meal in the Belvedere, something more casual in Brimstone, or a drink in Prospect. Come spring, you’ll be able to enjoy the Prairie Fire – a patio with fire pits.
It’s great to have the Padre open again. It’s a beloved Bakersfield landmark and we’re so excited that we’re actually staying there on Saturday night! A group of Bakofolks have booked rooms and will be having dinner together. I expect a few martinis will work there way in – gotta try the new specialty – something with the words blue and lemon in it I think. I’ll report back after I’ve had one. Golly it’ll be cool.
On Saturday night, we’re going to put the HOT back in the Padre.
