20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 5, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com WHEN PEBBLE BEACH’S FIRST LODGE—a building made entirely of logs—burned to the ground in 1917, some wanted to replace it with another log building. Samuel F.B. Morse, who went on to purchase it, had a different idea. He convinced the Pacific Improvement Company to ditch the old “log lodge” aesthetic and build a more modern structure. In 1919, the now world-famous Lodge at Pebble Beach was born. In the over 115 years since there have been updates and additions to the original lodge, but nothing as largescale as what is about to unfold once the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am concludes on Feb. 2. After the golfers, spectators and media have all left, a renovation ballet will begin, continuing over the next nine months in phases, with what the public sees slated for completion by the Concours d’ Elegance on Aug. 17. More renovations will continue, much of it behind the scenes, through the fall. “It’s like every renovation—it’s trying to orchestrate while managing a business and managing the renovation at the same time,” says Caroline MacDonald, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Pebble Beach Company. The intention, she says, is to expand capacity and set The Lodge up for the next 50 years of serving guests. It will include more dining capacity, a stateof-the-art kitchen, refreshed design, improved access consistent with the Americans with Disability Act, and a hefty amount of infrastructure work. The orchestration begins on Feb. 10 with the closing of The Lodge, which overlooks the famous 18th hole, including Carmel Bay and Point Lobos as its backdrop. Cypress Drive, the thoroughfare in front of The Lodge will be repaved, taking out that roadway for a time during the process. The Tap Room, the guest-favorite stately restaurant and bar inside, will be temporarily relocated and “reimagined” in a spot overlooking the start of the course at Fairway 1. The Terrace Lounge inside the main building will close at the same time, to be reopened in mid-August, in time for the Concours. The Stillwater Bar & Grill will also close down to be completely transformed into a new layout, expected to reopen in November. Immediately after the Concours, The Tap Room will leave Fairway 1 and take over The Terrace Lounge space until its original location is ready in mid-October, MacDonald says. The deep green and oak wood trim of the historic restaurant and bar will remain, but with a fresher, cleaner look, she says. Some of the photos and memorabilia on the walls will be updated: “I think [guests] will be pleasantly surprised,” MacDonald says. When the main building shuts down, guest check-in for the five-star hotel will relocate to the Pebble Beach Visitor’s Center across 17-Mile Drive. It will also be the location for The Tap Room valet parking during its relocation, she says. While interiors will get a refresh, some of the heavy lifting of the project will be what visitors don’t see—the infrastructure of the old building, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Much of that work will be done before Concours. What will be left after Concours is the creation of an entirely new kitchen recreated for today’s culinary needs, along with the restaurants’ interiors. The kitchen will be “sized up,” MacDonald says, adding in state-ofthe-art equipment and expanding banquet and bakery capabilities. There will be more storage, including for wine: “It will allow us to be more productive and to have a bigger capacity.” There will be more room for dining and private events like birthday and anniversary parties. “We’ve outgrown the space,” she says. “It’s pretty amazing the amount of meals we serve out of that space.” MacDonald demurs when asked how much Pebble Beach Co. is paying for the large renovation project. “It’s sizable,” she says. They hired international design firm HBA to revamp the interiors of both The Tap Room and Stillwater Bar & Grill, making sure that “the aesthetic remains true to what it is today,” she says. The “exciting” change at Stillwater will be seen with the bar, which will be moved away from the wall and rest as a horseshoe bar in the center of the restaurant with all of the seats facing the ocean. More booths will be added, giving it a cozy feel, MacDonald says. The feeling is designed to be that of a “fresh California restaurant.” The restaurant will get a private dining room, a small wine room for small private dinners and cocktail receptions and an outdoor deck for views of the 18th green. Meeting spaces within the Lodge will also be expanded, like the historic Card and Library rooms, which will get an expanded deck at the south end of the building. The patio off the Terrace Lounge will also expand, adding more outdoor seating availability. “Overall when we reopen, it will feel fresh and like the lodge that you know but a little crisper,” MacDonald says. RENO DANCE The famous Lodge at Pebble Beach is about to get a refresh, a century in the making. By Pam Marino A rendering of The Tap Room renovation. It will retain the same iconic look and feel of the current restaurant and bar but feel fresh and crisp, according to Carolyn MacDonald, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Pebble Beach Company. “I think [guests] will be pleasantly surprised,” she says. Spectators make their way into The Lodge at Pebble Beach during the 2023 AT&T Pro-Am. A week after the 2025 tournament concludes, the building will be closed for the first major renovation and refresh in more than 115 years since it was constructed. PEBBLE BEACH COMPANY AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM 2025 DANIEL DREIFUSS
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