Byron Hot Springs Resort

Overview  :::::  Sad and forgotten, this once stately hotel vainly tries to hide from vandals behind its screen of swaying palmsOverview ::::: Sad and forgotten, this once stately hotel vainly tries to hide from vandals behind its screen of swaying palms
Entrance  :::::  Approaching the front door.Entrance ::::: Approaching the front door.
Cindy and Jeff  :::::  I hope they're still happy together.Cindy and Jeff ::::: I hope they're still happy together.
The Staircase  :::::  The once luxurious main vestibule has had much of its marble facing stripped off by scrappers and vandals.The Staircase ::::: The once luxurious main vestibule has had much of its marble facing stripped off by scrappers and vandals.
Debutante's View  :::::  The giant dining room from the second floor gallery.Debutante's View ::::: The giant dining room from the second floor gallery.
Pantry  :::::  This blown out kitchen wall reveals the rugged concrete frame of this Pantry ::::: This blown out kitchen wall reveals the rugged concrete frame of this "fire-proof" structure.
Chimney  :::::  Looking out the vent hole in the heavily damaged kitchen.  To the south, waves of fog break over Tracy.Chimney ::::: Looking out the vent hole in the heavily damaged kitchen. To the south, waves of fog break over Tracy.
Watch Your Step  :::::   From the second-floor landing, the battered grand staircase glows in the last moments of twilight.Watch Your Step ::::: From the second-floor landing, the battered grand staircase glows in the last moments of twilight.
Into the Pit  :::::  Looking down the staircase, shafts of moonlight cross the lobby floor.Into the Pit ::::: Looking down the staircase, shafts of moonlight cross the lobby floor.
Hit the Switch  :::::  In the basement.Hit the Switch ::::: In the basement.
HauntedHaunted
Broken Transom  :::::  Two of the dozens of guest rooms.Broken Transom ::::: Two of the dozens of guest rooms.
Arrowhead  :::::  From the ground floor barber shop.Arrowhead ::::: From the ground floor barber shop.
Beckoning  :::::  Staff staircase to the third-floor.Beckoning ::::: Staff staircase to the third-floor.
Sniper  :::::  The burned and smashed kitchen commands the high ground above the windswept Contra Costa hills.Sniper ::::: The burned and smashed kitchen commands the high ground above the windswept Contra Costa hills.
Pentagram  :::::  Anything to make the guests feel right at home.Pentagram ::::: Anything to make the guests feel right at home.
Red Brick Dream  :::::  Lost in deep shadows, the employees entrance at the rear of the service wing.  This entire wall collapsed in 2007.Red Brick Dream ::::: Lost in deep shadows, the employees entrance at the rear of the service wing. This entire wall collapsed in 2007.
Barrow  :::::  Looking south from the site of Mead Cottage.  Torched by vandals in 2005.Barrow ::::: Looking south from the site of Mead Cottage. Torched by vandals in 2005.
Black Sulpher  :::::  One of the decoratively etched hot spring marker stones on the grounds. I wanted to shoot the Black Sulpher ::::: One of the decoratively etched hot spring marker stones on the grounds. I wanted to shoot the "White Sulfur" pool also, but there was a 6 foot snake as big around as my forearm slithering around in there.
Hot Spot  :::::  The weekend before the 4th of July saw several small brushfires on the property.  This one was still glowing well past midnight in the hot gusty wind. How much longer before this Hot Spot ::::: The weekend before the 4th of July saw several small brushfires on the property. This one was still glowing well past midnight in the hot gusty wind. How much longer before this "fireproof" hotel burns to the ground? Does the pyromaniacal douchebaggery know no bounds?
  • Overview  :::::  Sad and forgotten, this once stately hotel vainly tries to hide from vandals behind its screen of swaying palms
  • Entrance  :::::  Approaching the front door.
  • Cindy and Jeff  :::::  I hope they're still happy together.
  • The Staircase  :::::  The once luxurious main vestibule has had much of its marble facing stripped off by scrappers and vandals.
  • Debutante's View  :::::  The giant dining room from the second floor gallery.
  • Pantry  :::::  This blown out kitchen wall reveals the rugged concrete frame of this
  • Chimney  :::::  Looking out the vent hole in the heavily damaged kitchen.  To the south, waves of fog break over Tracy.
  • Watch Your Step  :::::   From the second-floor landing, the battered grand staircase glows in the last moments of twilight.
  • Into the Pit  :::::  Looking down the staircase, shafts of moonlight cross the lobby floor.
  • Hit the Switch  :::::  In the basement.
  • Haunted
  • Broken Transom  :::::  Two of the dozens of guest rooms.
  • Arrowhead  :::::  From the ground floor barber shop.
  • Beckoning  :::::  Staff staircase to the third-floor.
  • Sniper  :::::  The burned and smashed kitchen commands the high ground above the windswept Contra Costa hills.
  • Pentagram  :::::  Anything to make the guests feel right at home.
  • Red Brick Dream  :::::  Lost in deep shadows, the employees entrance at the rear of the service wing.  This entire wall collapsed in 2007.
  • Barrow  :::::  Looking south from the site of Mead Cottage.  Torched by vandals in 2005.
  • Black Sulpher  :::::  One of the decoratively etched hot spring marker stones on the grounds. I wanted to shoot the
  • Hot Spot  :::::  The weekend before the 4th of July saw several small brushfires on the property.  This one was still glowing well past midnight in the hot gusty wind. How much longer before this

Byron Hot Springs is an abandoned resort hotel complex near the town of Byron, lost in the dusty hills between Oakland and Stockton, CA.

Used by the Bolbones Indians for centuries, the therapeutic hot springs were discovered in the 18th century by white fur trappers. The springs quickly became an important stopover on California’s early trade routes.

The third major structure to be built at this location, this ornate Beaux Arts style four-story brick hotel opened in 1914. In its Jazz Age heyday, its golf course was popular with San Francisco socialites and Hollywood stars like Fatty Arbuckle and Clark Gable. The SF Seals even used this luxurious hotspot for spring training. The resort was sent spiraling into decline by the Great Depression, finally closing in 1938.

During WWII it was commandeered by the military, renamed “Camp Tracy” and used for German and Japanese POW interrogations. Over 1500 prisoners passed through Byron in four years.

In 1946 the military sold the hotel to the Greek Orthodox Church who converted it to a monastery named “Mission St. Paul” It failed in 1956.

Since the late ‘50s, the resort has been sold and resold to a long list of developers who all had big plans to rejuvenate it. All failures. Its current owners still want to redevelop the spot as a major resort destination. In the mean time, suburban Contra Costa County sprawls in its direction . . .

There’s a lot of talk on the web about the hotel being haunted. On one full moon night, I was amused to find a paranormal research team wandering the hallways while taking readings on hand held machines that looked like props right out of “Ghostbusters.” A medium lead the parade, muttering “I feel the presence of a military man . . . “ in hushed tones.

I’ve spent many nights out there over the last couple of years, alone and in groups and saw no evidence of ghosts that couldn’t be explained as simply wind under the eaves, or owls rustling around. Spooky and creepy? BIG time, but haunted? Come on.

Still, on another trip, my lighting equipment kept shutting off for no apparent reason. That never happens. I also dropped one of my gels, and when I bent to pick it up, a gentle gust of wind blew it a few feet out of reach . . . over and over again . . . leading me to a precipice. The place just has an amazing vibe—so it’s easy to let your imagination run wild.

Of more concern than ghosts are the packs of wasted teenagers playing “A Clockwork Orange” out there. All the small, wooden buildings on the grounds have been burned to the ground, and large sections of the exterior walls in the kitchen/office-wing have been knocked down.

As it stands now, the hotel will likely be reduced to rubble soon, either by developers or tweaker teenagers.

More info here.

Shot between October 2005 and June 2007. 

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