Inventor of the radio, Guglielmo Marconi built a sprawling hotel in Northern California’s Marconi State Historic Park in 1914. Things went off the rails in the 1960s, when it went on to become a drug and rehabilitation center, Synanon—and the breeding ground for a notoriously violent cult. The ‘80s saw the 62-acre site converted into a conference center. Now, it begins anew as a coastal retreat, Lodge at Marconi, designed by New York–based firm Home Studios.
A 17-month-long renovation has turned the storied site into a 45-guest room destination that preserves some of the historic interiors while showing deference to the area’s landscape. Some of the guest bathrooms feature the original tiles used in its 1960s iteration when the hotel was Synanon. The architects paired the past with Third Bay Tradition, referencing the midcentury modernism of Sonoma’s Sea Ranch Lodge, to tie the new property into the area. Updating the facade to an all-black paneling, Home Studios balances preserving aspects of the building while bringing it into the modern age.
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