Early Evening at the Holbrooke Hotel - Print

This vibrant watercolor of the historic Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley, California was awarded “Best of Show” during the 2023 Nevada County Plein Air Festival.

(Please contact me if you would like to acquire a smaller-sized, signed, Limited-edition Print of this painting). 

My goal as the artist was to effectively guide the viewer's eye through the scene, using vibrant light and shadow to create depth and volume in the architectural elements of the upper-level façade of the building, with its signage and ironwork, as well as in the storefronts at street level.

By integrating various hues, especially in the rendering of the sky—a mix of blues and gentle whites—contrasted dynamically with the warmer tones of the building and the street interlaced with long cooler shadows, a harmonious color interplay occurs that is evocative of the end to a sunny day.  I also chose to include period-specific vehicles to add character to the painting and serve as an anchor to a bygone era, inspiring feelings of nostalgia.

The Holbrooke Hotel is a unique historical landmark nestled in the Sierra Nevada Foothills dating back to the 1850s. Its history started with Stephen and Clara Smith being among the first to invest in the booming gold mining town of Grass Valley. They built the Adams Express Office and the Golden Gate Saloon which sadly, were destroyed by fire in 1855 along with most of Grass Valley.

The Smiths rebuilt the popular saloon as a one-story fieldstone building with a brick façade, making it safer from the threat of another fire.  The establishment eventually succumbed to another fire in 1862. Shortly thereafter, a relative, Charles Smith, built the current brick structure and named it the Exchange Hotel. It was noted for its convenience to the local Gold Exchange.

There were several other fires that swept through Grass Valley over the next several decades, but the hotel managed to miraculously survive them all.  In 1879 the saloon and hotel were purchased by Ellen and Daniel Holbrooke and renamed The Holbrooke Hotel. Today, the Golden Gate is the oldest, continuously operated saloon west of the Mississippi River, and is an integral area within  the Holbrooke.

As one of the finest early hotels of the West, The Holbrooke was visited by American Presidents Grant, Harrison, Garfield, and Cleveland.  American writer Mark Twain also spent some time at The Holbrooke as a young man in 1866. Other guests include prize fighters, “Gentleman Jim” Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons. The hotel was also frequented by author Bret Harte, actor Gilbert Barry, entertainers Lola Montez, Lotta Crabtre and Emma Nevada. Some say that the infamous highwayman, Black Bart was also a guest of the hotel.

Today, the Holbrooke continues to provide top notch service in the nostalgic dining room; the Golden Gate Saloon is there much like it was in the 1800’s; and Victorian rooms and suites provide visitors opportunities to enjoy reliving history.