Historic Brookdale Lodge reopening in Santa Cruz County

The Brookdale Lodge in Santa Cruz County is reopening after being closed for seven years.

The historic lodge started from a cabin in 1852 and grew into a staple of the San Lorenzo Valley.

Still fenced off from Highway 9 travelers, the legendary lodge is coming back to life.

The lodge used to house celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to James Dean.

“They used to party here. It is an icon here, oh I love it!” said Boulder Creek resident Lisa Rogers.

New owner and property manager Pravin Patel has run the place the last four years.

“It’s that iconic status that attracted me to it,” said Brookdale Inn and Spa Owner, Patel.

On Wednesday, May 23rd, the now Brookdale Inn and Spa held a hiring fair where dozens of people arrived hoping to join the team. Patel is hoping to have it partially open in a couple weeks.

“I want to be a part of it. I want to see it come back to what it used to be, if not better,” said Lisa Rogers.

The Brookdale Lodge has been a part of Lisa Rogers’ life for years. She’s heard the haunted legends.

“I didn’t believe it until I spoke with a friend of mine who used to bartend here and her father used to manage the bar. He says he saw the little girl. He thought it was a girl that lived here. Turns out, it wasn’t.”

“There are a lot of people who have witnesses or experienced paranormal activity here at the lodge,” said Maryanne Porter.

Maryanne Porter is with Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters. The haunted forces, something Patel didn’t really believe in until he arrived at Brookdale.

“I had a friend that said you can do an exorcism here. I said ‘why? They are not hurting anyone?'”

It’s the intersection of spiritual and spectacular.

“I don’t know of any other restaurant in the country, or the world, that has an actual creek running through the restaurant,” said Patel. “Hoover used to fish off that little bridge in the brook room. And whenever he would catch a fish, he would take it to the chef and have them cook it for him.”

All of it happening in the walls of the century old Brookdale Lodge.

If you would like to work at Brookdale there will be other hiring fairs as this was just phase one of three.