“I’ve been in real estate for 30 years; you get addicted to the stuff especially like this. I love art and antiques. . .and the more I’m here the more I fall in love with the inn. I consider myself very lucky.”Future plans could include wine tasting events and a multi-faceted restaurant menu for the “lunch crowd. . .I’m not trying to compete with any of the fine restaurants in town but just provide another reason for people to come out.”One idea Talley has is other worldly: “I heard about the ghosts but thought it was a joke until I saw one going into a guest room. . .now I know it’s true. I hope to have a Ghost Room with antiques, photos, a card table, something eerie.“Talley has been pouring through the inn’s archives and found lists of “thousands of people that stayed here and I’m going to write and invite them back.”Just weeks ago a couple visiting Santa Paula from Milwaukee knocked on the door of the inn. “They spent their honeymoon here close to 20 years ago and brought their two grown kids to see the inn. It was great,” said Talley.The single father of a 5-year-old boy, Talley is trying to get the hotel open by Valentine’s Day, then the restaurant and bar.“I’m accepting donations for the sprinkler system,” Talley said with a laugh.
Landmark Glen Tavern Inn has new owner hoping to reopen historic hotel
December 14, 2001
Santa Paula News
The landmark Glen Tavern Inn has a new owner who wants to restore the Craftsman hotel - completed in 1911 - to its former splendor, including perhaps a special room for the historic structure’s legendary ghost.
Santa Barbara resident Steve Talley purchased the inn, located at 134 N. Mill St., because of his professional interest in property in general and the vintage in particular. Notified by a broker that the Glen Tavern Inn was on the market for business investment, Talley at first thought “it’s nice but needs a lot of work. . .now I love this place, but it still needs a lot of work!”
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe landmark Glen Tavern Inn has a new owner who wants to restore the Craftsman hotel - completed in 1911 - to its former splendor, including perhaps a special room for the historic structure’s legendary ghost.Santa Barbara resident Steve Talley purchased the inn, located at 134 N. Mill St., because of his professional interest in property in general and the vintage in particular. Notified by a broker that the Glen Tavern Inn was on the market for business investment, Talley at first thought “it’s nice but needs a lot of work. . .now I love this place, but it still needs a lot of work!”Talley is planning on reopening the 47 guest rooms, bar and restaurant after restoration, redecorating and getting through the maze of permits needed for the inn to be back in business. Plans include redoing the large wing to match the architecture of the main building, which sits on slightly more than an acre.The inn has a swimming pool and seven rooms contain a jacuzzi. Designed by Hunt & Burns, the style is Craftsman with English Tudor influences and was built by a corporation of local investors with an eye to capturing the business of railway travelers.The Glen Tavern Inn was the pride of the Santa Clara River Valley, attracting film stars, oil barons and industrialists alike in its early years. About 10 years ago it was purchased by Tokyo University for $2.1 million as a study destination for Japanese students and the public dining room was closed. A later attempt to reopen the restaurant failed.At one point the inn was shuttered and enclosed by a chain link fence at the order of the city until repairs could be made on its dangerously substandard electrical system.Talley paid $600,000 for the property and is facing costs for fire sprinkler installation, antique furniture, carpeting and other expenses.