Solvang Gardens Lodge - SYV Guest Article

Reprinted from Summer 2000 Santa Ynez Valley Guest article

By Wolcott Schley

In memory of Sigvard Allerslev Hansen, 1913-1999

hen Sig and Vi Hansen of Santa Ynez completed construction of their Solvang Gaard apartment building in 1951, they did not think of themselves as pioneers. But that is what they became two years later when they converted their structure into Solvang’s first motel. They were also pioneering in another sense: The Danish design of the Solvang Gaard helped to spark the revival of Danish architecture so characteristic of Solvang today.

At that time, Solvang’s architectural motif was Spanish. Even the main street, today’s Copenhagen Drive, sported a block-long series of Mission-style arches. (Constructed in 1926, this arcade did not receive Danish camouflage until 1958.)

Up until World War II, only a small handful of buildings bespoke the town’s Danish heritage. Of these, the most noteworthy were the Bethania Lutheran Church (built in 1928), the Solvang Elementary School (1940), and the Atterdag College (1914-1968).

Then in 1945, a Danish architectural renaissance was sparked by Ferd Sorenson (whose handcrafted residence was aptly named Mollebakken, or Mill on a Hill), and a short time later by Ray Paaske, who commissioned Sorensen to design the Paaske building which still dominates the intersection of Alisal Road and Copenhagen Drive.

Above, the original Solvang Gaard (ca. 1951) featured an enclosed courtyard separated from the street by a low brick wall. A sub-sequent owner breached the wall with a “U” shaped drive, but left the original gates, fashioned from wagon wheels by Walter Christensen.

Hansen, a native of Denmark, also wanted to erect an authentic Old World Danish building, and his American wife thought it a good idea, too. They turned for help to their good friend Viggo Brandt-Erichsen, an artist, sculptor and architect (and fellow immigrant from Denmark) who had recently completed his own Danish-style residence, Elverhøj (now the Elverhøj Museum).

Other friends who provided encouragement were Børge and Mimi Andresen, whose recently completed Danish Kitchen (later the Danish Inn, and now Linton’s) was across town on Mission Drive, and which, in 1958, received its landmark Danish windmill.

The design eventually chosen by the Hansens, and Brandt-Erichsen was that of a Danish provincial farmstead (or “gaard”), an open square surrounded on three sides by buildings and on the fourth by a low brick wall. (The term “gaard” can also refer to a small farm.) Fitting nicely into the same plan was a small brick and bindingsvaerk residence which was soon to be constructed by Sig’s parents Carl and Elise Hansen.

“Sig always said that his father provided a good example of the ineptitude of socialized medicine,” says Vi. “He arrived from Denmark in a wheelchair, but once he received proper medical treatment here, he was soon out helping to build his own house (ably assisted by his sons Carlo and Janus). They even dug the basement themselves, hauling the dirt in a wheelbarrow!”

Conceived by Danes, the Solvang Gaard was also built by Danes. The contractor, Hans Skytt, Sr., was a long-time Danish builder legendary for his Old-World craftsmanship. Walter Christensen, who did the ornamental iron work, was an equally well known Danish craftsman. Sig’s brother Janus was a master bricklayer who had constructed walks and walls at Elverhøj and now did the same for the Gaard.

The original building had eight apartments, which rented from $60 to $90 per month. According to a classified ad placed in a local newspaper, these prices “included at no additional cost a laundry with automatic washer and mangle.”

Two years later, the same newspaper headlined the conversion of the Solvang Gaard from an apartment house to a motel with 22 rooms—in response, it said to the “thousands of tourists that visit Solvang and the Valley each year.” (Nowadays, of course, that figure is closer to three million.)

The Hansens owned the motel until 1958, when they sold it to Mr. and Mrs. Andrew T. Brown of Fort Worth, Texas. At that time, local resident Hazel Sechler became the manager. As luck would have it, Hazel’s first week on the job coincided with the annual visit of the well known riding group, Los Rancheros Visitadores, who were making full use of the town’s only two motels. (By then, Solvang had a second motel, the Little Red Cottage, now the Viking Motel.)

“Boy, did I ever get broke in,” Hazel recently told us. “I never was much afraid of anything after that.”

Subsequent owners have included Poul Andersen, publisher of the Danish newspaper Bien, and Louie Miller, who owned the Viking Restaurant, the Mollekroen Restaurant, and the Dolphin Club, and who used the Gaard for housing his employees.
In 1973, Miller sold the building to Howard and Anna Hanson (no relation to Sig and Vi Hansen), who owned it until 1999. “Our typical resident,” says Hanson, “was an artist or a writer wanting a quiet place on the outskirts of town. We also had our share of minor celebrities, including the man who used to play the accordion for Lawrence Welk, and the one who played the lead in TV’s Secret Agent. We also had Mrs. Felix Mattei, of Mattei’s Taven, who lived the last years of her life in apartment #8, and whose method of making friends with new arrivals was to invite them in for a shot of whiskey.”

“In the 26 years that we owned it,” he adds, “we only had two managers. One was Harry Laird, who managed it with his wife Cora. The other was Marge Snyder. We hired her and her husband together, but he passed away shortly after they got the job, and Marge stayed on and ran it by herself—which was quite an accomplishment. When she finally retired, that’s when we decided to retire too.”

The Hansons sold the Solvang Gaard to Ron and Julie Palladino, who changed its name to the Solvang Gardens Lodge and have undertaken extensive upgrading and renovation. “Not everyone knew what ‘Gaard’ meant,” Julie explains. “In fact, down at the Visitor’s Bureau, they still tell the story about the tourist asking what time we did the ‘Changing of the Guard.’ But everyone loves gardens and the courtyard was the perfect place to add a fountain and lots of flowers and pathways with benches. Besides, there was already a hidden backyard garden complete with fruit trees and even a quaint billiard cottage.

This is not the first time the Palladinos have breathed new life into an old landmark. About ten years ago, they purchased and extensively remodeled Solvang’s historic Old Mill Building, renaming it the Old Mill Shops. It now houses four of their businesses: Solvang Antique Center, Renaissance Design Center, Renaissance Architectural Products and Hrs. Antique Clock Repair. The Antique Center alone occupies a 7,000 square foot showroom. The Palladinos are sensitive to every detail of any project they undertake, and the Solvang Gardens Lodge is no exception. They are remodeling all of the rooms with an eye to staying true to their Old-World charm. In keeping with their new garden theme, however, they are renaming each room after a flower and they are using a floral motif for the draperies, upholstery and bedding. Soon, you will be able to book accommodations in the Morning Glory room, the Jasmine room, the Rose Haven or the Wisteria retreat. If you don’t like flowers, you can opt for English Ivy.

Nine of the rooms are really suites, with full kitchens and a separate living room, which are offered at special rates by the week or month. (In fact, it’s not unusual to encounter guests from all across the United States, Canada and even Europe who have been using the Lodge as a winter home for as long as twenty years.) The Palladinos have also kept their daily rates low, with mid-week prices starting as low as $49 for a room with one queen-sized bed. For more information, you can visit the Solvang Gardens Lodge website at: http://www.solvangardens.com.

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