Step back into another century as you relax in the quiet and comfortable elegance of this 1885 Victorian mansion in the heart of California's capital city. An easy walk from Amtrak, Greyhound, public transportation and many attractions: Old Sacramento Historic District on the Sacramento River, the California State Railroad Museum, Sutter's Fort and Indian Museum, the Governor's mansion, the State Capitol and Capitol Park. Take a rafting adventure down the American River, explore the Delta, plan a day trip to the Napa-Sonoma wine region, Gold Rush towns, or to Lake Tahoe, or cycle the oak-lined American River Bikeway.
| Let's Go Publications honored the hostel for its value and service with a Let's Go Recommends 1999 commendation. HI-Sacramento earned the "Two Thumbs Up" honor in 2000. |
Location: 900 H Street at Ninth Street, downtown Sacramento
Mailing Address: 900 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95814-1816
E-Mail: hisac@norcalhostels.org
Phone: 916.443.1691
Fax: 916.443.4763
Telephone Tree Reservation System: 800.909.4776 #40
Price: US$13.00-15.00 plus local tax (non-members have to pay an additional US$3.00 guest membership fee)
Closed Dates: never
Office Hours: 7:30-10:00 a.m., 5:00-10:00 p.m.
Hostel Hours: 5:00 p.m.-10:00 a.m.; closed 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (except for events)
Beds: 70
Private Rooms: 5 (additional charge)
Facilities: self-service kitchen, meeting room, baggage storage, secure lockers, laundry, limited on-site parking, wheelchair access, Internet access, patio, gardens, veranda, recreation room, library, information center, bike storage, barbecue, drawing room and parlor with antique piano, video rental, linen rental
Groups: welcome, reservations required (see Schools and Groups)
Reservations: advisable March-September; accepted by mail, phone or fax with credit card
Credit Cards: MasterCard, Visa, JCB
Manager: Rebecca Lang
Directions:
in downtown Sacramento--from I-5 North, take the J Street exit, turn left on 8th Street, then right on H Street
from Reno--I-80 West, take Business 80, then Highway 160 toward downtown, right on G Street, left on 9th Street toward H Street
from San Francisco--I-80 East to Business 80 to I-5 North
from Tahoe--I-50 to I-5 North
airport--take I-5 South to J Street exit; van shuttles are available for $10 one-way or Yolo bus to downtown at 9th and K Streets for $1 (small baggage only)
train--short walk east (4 blocks) from Amtrak depot at 5th and I Street
bus--short walk northeast (4/10 mile) from Greyhound bus station 8th and L Streets
Click here for a map of this location
Maps by
www.expediamaps.com
The historic and beautifully restored main floor of the mansion (two parlors, grand entry, dining rooms, kitchen) can be rented for day use between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., including set-up and clean-up. The dining room can accommodate 36-50 persons. Total attendance should not exceed 80 persons. Smoking is allowed outside only; alcohol consumption is permitted.
To reserve, a completed rental agreement and a non-refundable deposit of 50% are required. The balance of the rental fee and a refundable security deposit of $200 are due no later than fourteen days prior to your reservation date. Within 14 days of event, 100% of the rental fee is non-refundable.
For a copy of the day use rental agreement, please contact the hostel directly. E-mail hisac@norcalhostels.org or call 916.443.1691.
F R E E and open to the public! Sacramento Storytellers Guild spins tales at the Mansion on the second Thursday of every month, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
The Sacramento Hostel is excited to offer Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts the opportunity to earn a hostelling patch here at the historic Williams Mansion. The patch, set up in a similar format to formal Girl Scout badges, was designed by Hostelling International with help from Girl Scout troops in New England. It capitalizes on the atmosphere of hostels to help young women gain confidence in traveling and learning about people from other cultures. For requirements and a copy of the patch plus information about the Sacramento Hostel, write us directly at 900 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 or call us at 916.443.1691.
The Mansion is open to the public for "spontaneous" tours daily during our evening hours (5:00-10:00 p.m.). FREE SPECIAL DAYTIME GROUP TOURS may be reserved in advance by calling the hostel at (916) 443-1691. Donations for these special tours are WELCOMED!
This stately mansion, described in the January 3, 1891 Sacramento Bee as "one of the most elegant and comfortable of the recently built homes of the city," was completed in 1885 at a cost of $16,000. The owner, Llewellyn Williams (a native of Maine), arrived via sailing vessel in 1850, drawn to the rich gold fields of the Mother Lode. Llewellyn was part owner of the Pioneer Milling Company situated near the Sacramento River where the present day California State Railroad Museum is located. "Lew", as his friends and business associates called him, built the grand mansion on upscale H Street for his wife Lucy. They had one adopted daughter, also named Lucy ... a big house for just three people!
The Williams Mansion is considered one of the finest examples of nineteenth-century "Italianate-Stick Style" architecture in this area. This Victorian form is characterized by a great deal of intricate bracketing and irregularity of design. The mansion was designed by two noted architects of the day, Seth Babson and James Seadler, who also designed the Leland Stanford and Crocker Mansions.
H.G. Smith, president of the Pioneer Milling Company became its second owner in 1891 after Lew's death, purchasing the house for $30,000 in GOLD. He then sold it to the Van Voorhies Investment Company and, in 1906, they moved it from its original 10th and H Street corner location to the adjoining lot, which had served as the ornate garden area. It moved to its present location in October, 1994.
The house was sold in 1907 to H. Edward Yardley, owner of the Clark and Booth funeral firm, who converted it into a funeral home, adding a stable in the rear. Like the impressive mansion in which it was located, Clark, Booth and Yardley (California's oldest operating funeral home), was closely linked with Sacramento's colorful early years.
In 1946, A.M. Holmes bought into the funeral home partnership with Charles Monro. Upon Mr. Monro's death, he became sole owner. A.M. (Mory) Holmes Jr., kept the family tradition and joined the firm in 1956, and in 1967 the family name was added to the firm as the Holmes Funeral Home.
In 1972, Mory retired and leased the mansion to the University Club, a private group comprised of prominent judges, attorneys, and member of the legislature. The mansion was the setting for their noon meals and served as a relaxing place for conducting informal business affairs. The University Club vacated when Mory took back the house in 1978. He and his family reopened the building as "Mory's Place-The Victorian," serving noon meals to downtown workers during the week and a very popular events venue at night and on weekends for weddings, receptions, proms, and parties of all types.
Mory sold the mansion to a consortium of developers in 1988. These developers, wishing to build a high rise office building on the property, donated this 13,000-square-foot, four-story landmark to the Golden Gate Council of American Youth Hostels, on the condition that it be moved to another site. After five arduous years of seeking a suitable location, the City of Sacramento offered land directly across H Street, in the City's motor pool parking lot. This site won approval because of its close proximity to the original location and because the massive structure would not have to be cut into sections to move. With much pomp and circumstance, the 350-ton structure moved on October 15, 1994. A real community spectacle, hundreds came to witness the miracle of the move ... seeing is believing!
After eight months of remodeling and restoration, the stately Williams Mansion was reopened May 4, 1995 as the Sacramento International Hostel, the finest in the Hostelling International network. The entire project cost $2.1 million raised from both public and private sources by American Youth Hostels. This non-profit service organization has received numerous preservation awards for its adaptive reuse of historic buildings to provide budget accommodations in an educational environment for the young at heart who travel to gain a greater understanding of the world and its people.
Golden State Museum--Two-for-one admission. 1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Information 916.653.7524.
Bike Sacramento--Get around town or bike the Jedediah Smith River Trail with 25% off all bike rentals. 1050 Front Street (Public Market), Sacramento, CA 95814. Information 916.444.0200.
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