Final farewell given to historic hotel 7 months after fire

    MARYSVILLE, California (KOVR) -- A farewell celebration for the Hotel Marysville took place Monday, seven months after a fire devastated the historic vacant building.

Dozens of people from the Yuba-Sutter area and beyond came to say their goodbyes to the iconic hotel that was part of Marysville's skyline for nearly a hundred years.

High Street was shut down in front of the hotel one more time as we heard from city leaders, the demolition company, Caltrans and community members.

"Good afternoon, everybody and welcome to Mt. Marysville," said Dan Flores, the city's community development director.

What's left of the demolished hotel sits in a pile waiting to be hauled off to its final resting place: a hazardous waste site.

Meanwhile, the community came together to say goodbye, even lining up to take a brick as a keepsake.

"We have good news on both fronts. The hotel is down, the highway is open and we've got bricks for you," City Manager Jim Schaad told those in attendance.

Marysville resident Linda Bouley-Houseweart has a very special connection to the building.

"I worked every job in every position there was in the hotel," she said. "I met my husband in there."

Flores said it was "really heartwarming" to hear stories from the community at Monday's celebration.

"The idea was to have a celebration of life, sharing the moments and being together as we wish farewell to our old friend, the hotel," he added.

John Atkinson, a Vacaville resident who grew up in Marysville, created 3-D renderings of what the hotel looked like on the inside during its glory days.

Another man said he frequented the hotel in grade school as a paper boy.

Former Sutter County Supervisor Matthew Conant says his grandmother lived in the building for six months and had plenty of stories to tell.

"She said they had live ballroom dancing every night, a great restaurant, a great bar downstairs," he said.

Flores said the city is already being approached by developers and hopes to put some sort of mixed-use residential or commercial building in.

"I think, one day, the phoenix is going to rise from the ashes and something awesome is going to come out of here," Flores said.

The city plans to haul away what's left of the pile to a hazardous waste site. They are waiting to hear back about receiving a federal grant to reduce the cost.