Boutique hotel firm buys iconic Seven Gables Inn overlooking Monterey Bay. See it
A beautiful, yellow, historical three-story Victorian mansion in Pacific Grove, California, with views of the ocean and coastal mountains has sold, according to The Agency real estate firm.
As one of the most recognizable seaside hotels in California, the Seven Gables Inn was listed for $17.25 million in a rare offering, the Sacramento Bee reported in May 2020.
The new owner is Alex Kirkwood of the Kirkwood Collection, according to The Agency. The closing price was not disclosed, but the property listing says Seven Gables Inn is “sold” and lists the price at $14.545 million.
Kirkwood “is a family-owned and operated luxury hotel brand offering a portfolio of intimate boutique hotels in iconic California destinations,” according to the company’s website.
“Seven Gables Inn is a hallmark addition to our portfolio,” Kirkwood said in a statement. “Our robust following of sophisticated travelers will be stunned by the majestic views from the property.”
Mauricio Umansky, chief executive officer of The Agency, and Cicily Sterling of the firm’s Carmel office represented the buyer and the seller.
The 25-bedroom hotel spans 15,100 square feet on nearly a half-acre of land along Ocean View Boulevard. The “seven” in Seven Gables refers to the seven different structures that comprise the inn.
Every room has a view of the ocean, and there’s a dining room that seats up to 40 people.
“The entire coastline of Pacific Grove on the ocean side of Ocean View Boulevard is zoned open space and will never be developed, preserving ocean views from the property,” according to the listing.
“A landmark property of this size and in this location is a one of a kind opportunity,” Sterling told The Bee when the property was first listed. “The collection of four oceanfront properties, seven architecturally significant structures, all with breathtaking views of the Monterey Bay is virtually unheard of.”
There’s vast potential for the iconic property, she said.
“As for how the property will be used going forward, there has been a strong interest in both the residential potential and also maintaining and operating the inn. There is also the option of doing both, it truly is a very unique offering,” Sterling said.
The property’s multi-use zoning allows it to be operated as an inn, a place of residence, or a combination of the two, according to the listing agency.
The mansion was originally built in 1886 on the promontory at the edge of the Monterey Peninsula. At the end of the 19th century, the original owner sold the property to Lucie Chase, a prominent civic leader and philanthropist. The family turned the mansion into rental apartments.
Seventy years later, the Chases sold it to the Flatley family, who filled it with extensive antique furniture and fine art and turned it into a bed and breakfast, according to media reports.
Seven Gables Inn neighbors the 1910 home once owned by the first female mayor of Pacific Grove, Julia Platt, a neurobiologist credited with planting the flowering vegetation up and down the coastline.
Seven Gables Inn was owned and managed by Susan Flatley Wheelwright and her brother Ed Flatley for 39 years, according to the Monterey Herald. In 1972, the Herald reported, the Flatleys purchased the property, and it remained a family home until 1982, when it became a bed and breakfast inn.
“We look forward to welcoming to the Kirkwood Family of hotels the existing guestbook the Flatley’s have curated over four decades,” Kirkwood said.
This story was originally published June 24, 2021 at 10:49 AM.
