Berkeley ยท Berkeley/Oakland hills
Claremont Resort & Club
The 'White Castle on the Hill', a 1915 resort hotel in the Berkeley hills, on Historic Hotels of America's most-haunted lists from 2021 to 2024.
- Built
- 1915Opened 1915 on the site of the Thornburg family's 'castle'.
- Style
- Tudor Revival (white wood-frame 'castle')
- Architect
- Charles William Dickey and Walter D. Reed
- Type
- Resort
- Area
- Berkeley/Oakland hills
- Credentials
- Local landmark; Historic Hotels of America member
The story
The site held William Thornburg’s English-style manor, known locally as the castle. A new resort hotel designed by Charles William Dickey and Walter D. Reed opened in 1915, and its white silhouette earned it the nickname ‘White Castle on the Hill’ by the 1930s. Later owner Harold J. Schnitzer’s Harsh Investment Corporation added facilities including a wedding chapel; the hotel received an $80 million restoration for its centennial.
The ghost story
HHA reports stories of phantom elevators that stop at floors no one requested, cold spots and voices, with the most activity attributed to one fourth-floor room. HHA named it to its Most Haunted lists from 2021 to 2024.
Source: www.historichotels.org
Good to know
- Address: 41 Tunnel Rd, Berkeley, CA 94705
Things to do
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Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.