Hyatt House Hotel Historic Retrofit and Renovation

Sacramento, CA

Constructed in 1928, the Eastern Star Hall in downtown Sacramento is the only surviving structure designed and built by the Order of the Eastern Star, a women-inclusive sector of the Masonic Order. The Hall was a place of grand ceremony and celebration adorned with Classical Revival-style elements, high ceilings, and a full basement with stage for banquet events.

Hume Development purchased the property in 2018 with the intent to convert the building into an eight-story, 86,000 SF, 128-room hotel that incorporated the Hall’s historic features: the main facade, the entry lobby with its wraparound 30-ft-tall grand staircase, the portion of auditorium floor above the lobby, and the full brick facades on the east and west sides.

Demolition and reconstruction amid constraints of preserving existing elements on a tight downtown site proved to be a formidable task that required the utmost levels of coordination and sequencing. The approach to stabilize the three brick walls and the lobby with its grand staircase involved a bracing system installed on the interior of the building — external bracing was not feasible due to the proximity of adjacent buildings. All internal bracing was carefully placed so that it did not inhibit removal of the existing structure, yet also accommodated future permanent construction.

The new Hyatt House hotel opened in January 2023, offering modern amenities such as digital check-in and valet parking all while preserving the building's historic charm.