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Thursday, 26 February 2009 |
 Amador County – Spokesman Thom Walker said Wednesday that the closing of the National Hotel will not mean that the business wants to become a homeless shelter. He said a recent newspaper referred to the word, “homeless,” but it is not something the National Hotel wants. Walker is spokesman for the corporation that owns the National, ENG # 1 Inc., or Evelyn Nancy Gannon # 1, owned by Bill Smith. What they do hope to do is continue a decades-long tradition of renting rooms to churches and the Salvation Army for the cost of housekeeping. Walker said “it never was an idea to turn the hotel into a shelter. These rooms are rented out on an individual basis, as many as needed.” The state Alcoholic Beverage Control issued an order to close the doors of the National Hotel and bar at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, due to 7 violations, including selling alcohol to a minor, last May. It will close for 20 days or longer, until the liquor license is met, by opening its restaurant or by applying for a new bar license. Walker said “we’re going to go ahead and file within the next few days.” The bar and hotel will both be closed, though he may try to continue renting rooms to nonprofit organizations. The new bar license paperwork could take longer than the 20-day-to-indefinite closure order. Walker said the “60-day neighborhood is more likely.” It will not be open for Dandelion Days, and no rooms will be rented to the public, but possibly to non-profits. During closure, they plan to clean out the basement kitchen area, and he has offered the antique shop space in the lower level as a free home to the Amador County Museum, which has been closed due to its roof being in disrepair. Walker said the National’s basement was protected against flooding by a “dike of sorts,” built about 10 years ago after a Jackson Creek flood. Walker said the locks have been changed on the National and the doors were to close last night before midnight, potentially ending the hotel’s claim to being the longest running hotel in California, since its rebuilding in 1862 after a fire. The National is up for sale, at a reported $1.9 million dollars. Walker said it is no longer a flourishing business, but the owner would like to seek its intrinsic, historic value. Story by Jim Reece
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 26 February 2009 )
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