Future of Big Three building in Sonoma Valley a big question

More than a year after the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn closed its nearby diner, the future of the building remains uncertain, prompting concerns it could end up being demolished.

The nearly century-old Big 3 building at a prominent, heavily traveled corner of Boyes Hot Springs has been shuttered since the spring of 2016 and Fairmont officials are saying little about their plans for it.

Using it as a conference center “is one of the ideas that’s been discussed. Nothing is decided upon,” said Michelle Heston, a spokeswoman for the hotel. “The ownership group is doing an evaluation on the best use of the property.”

Gina Cuclis, a board member of the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation, recently raised the alarm in a published column about the prospect of the building being torn down.

Cuclis said the vacant building at the intersection of Highway 12 and Boyes Boulevard is showing signs of deterioration and rumors abound that the hotel plans to tear it down.

“It’s been this sort of landmark building, if you will, for nearly 100 years,” Cuclis said. “It’s the most prominent intersection in The Springs,” referring to the string of unincorporated communities along Highway 12 containing about 16,000 residents.

Heston said Friday that demolishing the building “is not something in the plans at this time,” but she did not rule out the possibility.

She said “a dozen” different options are under consideration but declined to discuss any of them.

“It’s a large piece of land on our corner of the property. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Heston said.

Discussion about the fate of the Big Three building follows completion of an extensive a multimillion-dollar Highway 12 roadway upgrade in The Springs with new sidewalks, streetlights and bike lanes.

The county has also set aside $2 million for more improvements, potentially to build a small plaza near Sonoma Mission Inn on a closed portion of Boyes Boulevard and bring in new businesses around it. A county plan being developed for the area includes building apartments and condominiums above ground floor, neighborhood-oriented restaurants, and retail and service businesses, something Cuclis favors for the Big 3 building.

Michael Acker, who has chronicled the history of the area in his book “Images of America: The Springs Resort Towns of Sonoma Valley,” said “everybody who cares about the neighborhood and the community and our dwindling stock of buildings is concerned it will be torn down.”

The existing building was built in 1924 after the original 1921 one burned in the great Boyes Hot Springs fire of 1923, according to his book.

Originally it was called the Woodleaf Store. Through the years it was a supermarket, butcher shop, post office, Greyhound bus stop and ice cream parlor, he said.

The Sonoma Mission Inn operated the Big 3 restaurant there for at least a couple of decades. Although popular with hotel guests on weekends, Heston said it did not do as well during the week and a business decision was made to shut it down.

The closure came shortly after a private real estate trust - Carey Waterman Investors - took full ownership of the AAA Four Diamond hotel in February 2016. The 226-room resort continues under the management of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, which formerly had a 25 percent ownership stake.

Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin, who represents the Sonoma Valley, said hotel officials “

But she said the resort, which is reported to generate more room tax revenue than any other hotel in the county, has a need for increased parking and conference facilities.

She said at some point the resort will have to develop a specific plan subject to review by the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Committee.

“I’m going to support an active community process that will have a good discussion about what is history, what is important to the community and how Sonoma Mission Inn prepares for the future, as well as with the fabric of the surrounding area,” Gorin said.

You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 707-521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com.