If adobe walls could talk: Old Town inn’s hidden history aids its renovation

Nini Minovi’s enthusiasm is contagious as she describes the day she began her “love affair with a building” – the newly refurbished Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town State Historic Park.

Minovi, the lead archaeologist on the project, was grinding off a chunk of plaster from the second floor exterior of what then housed Casa de Bandini Mexican restaurant.

During that initial exploration more than three years ago, Minovi discovered pristine redwood siding preserved just below the plaster. It was installed in 1869 as part of the wood-framed second story, which Albert Seeley added while converting the original adobe structure to an L-shaped, Greek Revival-style hotel.