The Claremont: The White Hilltop Hotel That Opened for the 1915 World's Fair

From much of the East Bay flatlands you can see the long white building with a tower at the foot of Claremont Canyon. It's been a landmark for more than a century.

A castle, then a fire

The hotel's own history says the site was once part of a 13,000-acre estate assembled by Bill Thornburg, who built a turreted Tudor-style house there. The property was later sold to the Ballard family, and the house burned in a wildfire in July 1901. Oakland LocalWiki and Wikipedia both date the fire to July 14, 1901.

A slow start

Investors including Frank Havens and Francis 'Borax' Smith bought the land to build a resort for visitors from San Francisco. A popular legend says the property was won in a game of checkers; LocalWiki notes other versions name dominoes or poker. Construction began around 1905 but stalled after the 1906 earthquake. Wikipedia says Erik Lindblom put in the money to finish it, and the hotel opened in 1915 in time for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. LocalWiki gives the opening date as May 3, 1915, and says it was then the largest hotel on the West Coast. LocalWiki credits the design to architect C.W. Dickey.

Trains to the lobby, almost

The hotel's history says the Key System's E line never quite reached the lobby, but trains stopped between the tennis courts below the hotel, carrying guests from the ferries. The tracks were removed in 1958. Wikipedia says the Oakland-Berkeley border now runs along that old right of way.

Big bands and a near miss

The hotel says Claude Gillum, a night clerk there since 1926, bought it in 1937 for $250,000, and it became a big-band destination. LocalWiki says Gillum also added fireproofing, including a fire-resistant roof and sprinklers. In 1991, the Oakland firestorm burned the hills behind the hotel. Wikipedia says firefighters and dying winds stopped the flames short of the building.

Wikipedia says the central tower, about 160 feet tall, makes the wooden hotel one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world. The Claremont is an Oakland city landmark. LocalWiki says it was bought in 2023 by an affiliate of Redwood City-based Ohana Real Estate Investors. For a hike nearby, see our Claremont Canyon guide.