Byron Hot Springs may get some repairs

“I will one day apply to do something, I am not sure what yet,” Cort said. “The county is in the process of rezoning. So whatever happens, I will still have to go before the county and the (council) and present a plan and get that approved. It will be a big public forum of whatever happens out there. This is just some quick work I need to do to save the building.”

Though the council does not have land-use authority, its recommendation is considered by the county when issuing permits for work and development. In this case, the council voted 3-1 to approve the application submitted by owner Vera Cort. Chairperson Linda Thuman made the sole vote against approval over concerns the work be in line with the building’s status on the National Register of Historic Places.

“I am very supportive of efforts to restore Byron Hot Springs,” said Thuman. “I am looking for some input for the historic aspect – because it is a historical site – and I did not see that on the application.”

With this first hurdle overcome, the application still must go through many other stakeholders to receive final approval.

The Byron Hot Springs hotel building and surrounding property are historically significant for a number of reasons. Local historian Carol Jensen literally wrote the book on the property and said its eventual development could signal a renaissance for Byron.

“It is very important for the cities of East Contra Costa County to have the benefit of money and economic development, and certainly 160 acres in the middle of Byron, right along the railroad line for which there are transportation plans, will be beneficial,” Jensen said. “There are great opportunities here in terms of land, history, openness, the addition to the community as opposed to a drag on the infrastructure, the potential is great, at all levels. Once, Byron Hot Springs was famous and people loved it and came from around the world to visit, and bringing back something that was so successful then and could be successful now in a 21st century sense would be fabulous.”

Jensen is chair of the county’s historical landmarks committee and is a member of the East Contra Costa Historical Society. Her interest in Byron Hot Springs is more than scholarly; she actually has a postcard her grandfather sent from the hotel to his family in Livermore during a stay there.

During its history, the hot springs on the property were known and used by Native Americans, Spanish settlers, Mexican ranchers, and pioneers during the John Marsh era. The Federal Land Commission became involved once California became a state in 1850, and then Risden Iron Works of San Francisco surveyed, mapped, fenced and improved the springs. The property saw the first nonagricultural commercial development in East County, and people from all over would come to drink the medicinal waters. Once the hotel went there, it was one of only a few 5-star hotels in the state in 1906, and by the 1920s, it was a popular spot for celebrities, business tycoons and other wealthy patrons. The history of the building took a darker turn during World War II when it served as a secret military interrogation facility for Japanese prisoners of war before they were shipped to camps in the Midwest for the duration of the fighting. Now the building has fallen victim to time, the elements and vandals.

“Everyone is excited about this building; it needs to be saved,” Cort said. “I want to save the historic building, but I need to do something right now to save it from collapsing … I don’t have a timeline, I’m not even 100% sure they will approve it, but I look forward to hopefully getting some work done.”