The Brick Hotel: Inside Look At Rebuilding An Oceanside Original

OCEANSIDE, CA — Last week we looked at the history of the Schuyler building, Oceanside's oldest three-story building, in Sneak Peek: The Brick Hotel, Restoring An Oceanside Original.

Today, we explore the challenge of transforming this historically significant building into a modern boutique hotel suited to Oceanside’s evolving downtown landscape.

There is a reason not many take on projects like this", says Tom Aldrich, "and yes, we are probably crazy to do this. But there were some creative advantages to saving an old building that most don't realize, and maybe it leads to more adaptive reuse projects."

The Aldrich family wanted to ensure that this important piece of Oceanside history was preserved when they purchased the building in 2017.

"Unfortunately there wasn't much we could save. The last time the second and third floor were used was in the 1970s. The roof leaked all the way down to the first floor, which was occupied by Jeannette's Cleaners." said Tom.

The Brick Construction Phases:

The property was purchased in 2017 and entitled in 2018, but it took time and lots of coordinating with the building department to develop a construction plan to bring the 133-year-old building up to CA code and ADA compliant.

While waiting for permits, they began to remove the exterior stucco shell and exposed the century-old brick hidden underneath. To the surprise and delight of locals, old signage was also uncovered and people lined the alley to take photos with the Cash Grocers sign and the original city marker.

The actual construction began in Spring 2019, with the project growing substantially in size to include the building next door after the closing of the Firewater. This required a shift in planning and added permitting. The foundation retrofit alone took more than a year.

Eventually, they took the front and rear walls down, then cleaned the original brick and built it back up after the foundation and steel were set.

The Aldrich family will continue to honor the history of the Schuyler building as they adapt to unplanned hurdles and work toward completing the renovation of the Brick Hotel. In Oceanside, we will continue to follow their community adventure with keen interest.

Slated to open summer 2021, The Brick Hotel has reimagined a historic 1888 downtown building into a modern boutique hotel with peek ocean views that is ideally located near museums, theaters, restaurants and the popular Thursday Sunset market. With just 10 rooms, The Brick Hotel will cater to a digitally savvy traveler who values modern, self-serve convenience in a more intimate environment. It will also be one of the only dog-friendly hotels in the city with two rooms designated for those traveling with canine companions.

The Brick Hotel experience will include a rooftop bar with ocean views, a first-floor restaurant, local coffee bar and the newly opened Frankie's Cocktail Lounge, a swanky gathering place serving creative local cocktails. The hotel has also partnered with Stone Tasting Room Oceanside, located just behind the Brick, to create direct access for hotel guests and provide food service to the popular local beer garden.

In case you missed Part 1: Sneak Peek: The Brick Hotel, Restoring An Oceanside Original

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