Fogarty’s renovation project of the historic Crescent Mills property is a comprehensive effort to restore and modernize a multi-building site with deep historical roots. Acquired in 2016, the property includes a hotel and store originally built in 1926 after a fire destroyed much of the area. The restoration, funded in part by a loan from Ivan Coffman, owner of the Belden Town Resort and Lodge, focuses on maintaining historical integrity while upgrading to meet modern safety and accessibility standards.
Key renovation strategies include using repurposed materials and ensuring the preservation of historical aesthetics, such as maintaining original siding and flooring. The Crescent Hotel has already been added to the California Register of Historic Places, with a pending application for the National Register.
The hotel features an indoor event space with a large window wall overlooking a garden, integrating modern amenities like a second bar and a wheelchair lift. The garden itself is designed as an event space, with plans for lawn games, firepits, and a pavilion, all supported by a greywater irrigation system.
Accommodations include 15 guest rooms and three cabins, all updated with modern amenities while retaining historical touches. Two small apartments on-site will be available for key personnel.
Adjacent to the hotel, the Crescent Store is undergoing similar updates, with installations of heat pumps and solar panels. The store will offer coffee, sandwiches, and local goods, with plans for a potential dispensary pending approval.
A covered walkway between the buildings will be converted into a small museum, chronicling the history of Crescent Mills from modern times back to the Indigenous Maidu culture.
Fogarty envisions the complex as a hub for diverse businesses and a diverse customer base, offering amenities like high-speed vehicle charging stations and improved accessibility features, including a crosswalk and bus shelters.
The project aims to open the store by May or June, with the hotel following later in the year. Fogarty intends to operate seven days a week, focusing initially on establishing standards and consistency, and leveraging social media to attract a broad audience. His vision includes positioning Crescent Mills as a destination with some of the best views in California.
