The History of Ukiah’s Palace Hotel Book Party

Join the Historical Society of Mendocino County and Karen Rifkin to celebrate her new book, “The History of Ukiah’s Palace Hotel.” Author Karen Rifkin will share her research and writing process. Join us to recount your stories and memories, purchase the book, explore the history and artifacts of the Palace Hotel, and enjoy some refreshments.

In July 2023, the historical society unveiled our new research room, where Karen Rifkin eagerly stepped forward as one of our inaugural docents. During her time exploring our collection, she came across the Palace Hotel (Ukiah) archival collection—an exciting find, given her past experience as the kitchen manager, line cook, and sous chef at the Palace Bar & Grill. Discoveries like an original menu and a newspapers article celebrating the restaurant’s grand opening stirred many memories, which she generously shared with us.

Inspired by her findings, she delved deeper into its history and uncovered a treasure trove of captivating stories. This journey fueled her determination to write a book about the history of Ukiah’s Palace Hotel. After a year of rigorous research, countless hours in the archive, interviews with former staff and patrons, and meticulous attention to detail, Karen is thrilled to announce the release of her new book!

“Journey back in time to 1895, when a drunken Vat Berryhill staggered into the card room of the Palace Hotel and fired off a round at W.H. Lyons; to 1921, when Frank Sandelin was arrested for violating the Volstead Act; to 1949, when Walter Sandelin hired Don Clever to paint the Black Bart mural; to 1978, when Pat Kuleto and company spent $3.5 million to bring good food and good times back to the declining hotel; and to the period of 1990-2017, when Eladia Laines and the City of Ukiah spent money, time, and energy in a fruitless, last-ditch effort to resurrect the dying building.

Continue the trip, right up to the present, to 2024, when, after many years of being determined structurally unsound and a danger to public safety, and after going into its final foreclosure in 2019, the Palace Hotel is presently destined for demolition… any day now…or maybe not. It’s all there and more, with stories and photos, in the first definitive, chronological accounting of the Palace Hotel and the people and events that shaped its wild and colorful history.”

About the Author:

Karen Rifkin graduated from Douglass College/Rutgers University with a degree in history/political science; and later moved to Ukiah to raise her family and work at Round Table Pizza. Afterward she became kitchen manager, line cook and sous chef at the Palace Hotel. After working as a massage therapist, she returned to college for her teaching credential and taught middle school students history and English. Some years later she became a feature writer and photographer for the Ukiah Daily Journal.