Story and Photos By Jon Chown
BROOKDALE — Sean Woodward felt right at home playing with his band Woodmill during the Brookdale Lodge’s grand reopening celebration on July 27. He’s been playing gigs in the area for about 35 years, many of them at the lodge back when it was a popular hotspot.
“So far, so good,” he said, reviewing the improvements made at the lodge. “Mario is a very positive influence everywhere he goes, so I’m really happy about this.”
Mario Ibarra greets people during the grand reopening of Brookdale Lodge on July 27.
Mario Ibarra is the new owner and quite popular with many. He also owns the Casa Nostra Italian restaurant in Ben Lomond and purchased Henflings Tavern in November. Henflings, despite being popular for decades, had closed after the owners divorced. Now, with it thriving again, Ibarra and his business partner Juan Alvarez have taken on the Brookdale Lodge, another iconic business that has struggled lately.
“It’s a historical place. It has a beautiful space, the building is nice. I think we can have a very successful business here,” Ibarra said. “The community needs a nice place to hang out.”
Hundreds were hanging out throughout the day, with live music going from noon until 8 p.m., a barbecue set up in the parking lot, face painting, and more.
“It’s great news for the community that the cafe is reopening and the lounge is getting a rebrand,” said Bryan Chambers, executive director of the San Lorenzo Valley Chamber of Commerce. “More dining and entertainment venues mean more options for residents and visitors.”
The lodge’s history is long. The site was a lumber mill in the 19th century and then turned into a camping resort around 1900. In 1922, Dr. F. K. Camp, a strict prohibitionist, bought the lodge and had a dining room built that straddled the creek running through the property. It was called the Brook Room.
Many celebrities were rumored to have stayed at the lodge, including Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, James Dean and even Al Capone.
Guests visit the bar at the Brookdale Lodge during its grand reopening on July 27
“Lots of famous people went to dinner here and stayed at the lodge,” Ibarra said.
A fire damaged the lodge in 1956, but it rebuilt and kept going. Decades later, fires in 2005 and 2009 led to it being closed and then mostly abandoned. In 2015, Pravin and Naina Patel purchased the property, did a lot of restoration and reopened it in phases. Now, Ibarra said, it will be fully open and running. He said what he will be bringing is “consistency.”
“We’ll have good service, good food, keep it open and make it happen,” Ibarra said. “I believe in this community. They’ve been helping me big time in my previous businesses and I just wanted to give something back.”
Dave Goodwin of Boulder Creek said he’s been coming to the lodge for the past two years and looks forward to the consistency because the hours had seemed sort of haphazard before. One night it might be open, the next night it could be closed.
“Being open more often is going to help,” he said.
TOP PHOTO: Sean Woodward and Dave Miller of Woodmill perform during the grand reopening of the Brookdale Lodge on July 27.