about us
HISTORY
Constructed in 1910, the Old Alcohol Plant building was originally owned and operated by Charles H. Adams, father of the famous photographer Ansel Adams.
BEFORE
Classen Chemical Company made alcohol out of sawdust at this plant, closing it’s doors in 1913, remaining quiet for 65 years.
AFTER
In 1978, Ray Hansen set sights on the building shell and the potential it presented. Investing nine years and over $4 million, Ray and his wife Jeanne created a hotel and resort called the Inn at Port Hadlock.
RETURN OF THE OLD ALCOHOL PLANT
After several changes in ownership, government officials closed the doors on the Inn at Port Hadlock in 2011 due to taxes owed. A small group of local philanthropists saw potential in the property, purchased and renovated it, then reopened the hotel in 2016 with a mission in mind and a new, old name.
The walls of this sturdy hotel will provide lodging for community members in need, create jobs to enhance our economy, and provide a beautiful waterfront location for events and classes.
HISTORY OF THE OLD ALCOHOL PLANT AND THE ANSEL ADAMS FAMILY
In the late 1800’s, Samuel Hadlock helped develop a site in Port Hadlock, Washington, to be known as the Washington Mill Company. William J. Adams, who was the grandfather of Ansel Adams, owned and operated the company. The present site of the former mill is the Wooden Boat School on S. Water Street, Port Hadlock. In 1907, the Washington Mill Company closed, laying off numerous workers as a result of the proposed railroad for the region not being built, and was instead built on the east side of Puget Sound.
In 1909, hope beamed when Charles H. Adams began construction or the Classen Chemical Company’s Alcohol Plant. The Washington Mill Company was able to reopen the mill and was the supplier for the sawdust and raw material needed to distill the alcohol. The Alcohol Plant opened in June 1911. Based on the works of Louis Pasteur, they processed alcohol from sawdust using the Berigus Process.
The Alcohol Plant shipped all of its product to San Francisco and early on ran into financial problems. With the heavy competition for alcohol product in 1913, Western Distilleries (C&H Sugar) bought up all the available stock options, taking control of the company. This caused a significant loss of capital resulting in The Alcohol Plant closing forever in 1913.
For decades the Alcohol Plant stood vacant and fell into disrepair. In 1948 Ansel Adams and his son Michael visited the property to decide what to do with it. It would be another 30 years before an investor would acquire the Old Alcohol Plant with a vision.
In April, 1979 retired Buick dealer John Ray Hanson purchased the property and during the next nine years and $4 million dollars transformed the former Alcohol Plant into a hotel and marina.
In May, 1996, John Ray Hansen sold the property to Paul Christensen of Realvest Corporation of Vancouver, WA. Paul’s dream was to create the Inn at Port Hadlock and in 2006, the Inn at Port Hadlock opened.
Subsequently, the property was foreclosed upon and later purchased by the current owners, Inn Properties, LLC in December of 2014. After much renovation to bring life back to the Hotel, it opened again on July 1, 2016. An important aspect of the new ownership is the Mission the owners represent. The Tower Building of the hotel provides temporary housing to community members in need as they improve their quality of life, and transition into permanent living situations. This non-profit entity is called Bayside Housing & Services. All the current owners are involved with Bayside’s mission and are committed to supporting those in need. As guests of the Old Alcohol Plant Hotel and Restaurant, you are assisting with this mission. We appreciate your support.
As a Tribute to the History of the Adams Family, we have dedicated a wall to the works of Ansel Adams.
The walls of this sturdy hotel will provide lodging for community members in need, create jobs to enhance our economy, and provide a beautiful waterfront location for events and classes.
Sustainability
We are using every effort to maintain positive work practices that have a direct effect on our environment, guests, and staff. We feel that it's important to work in a place that cares about all three of those things, and we put it into our daily practices. Below are some of the procedures that we have changed for the better after acquiring this beautiful property in 2014.
The Inn
The Maintenance and Engineering Team has replaced nearly all light bulbs with LED lighting, greatly decreasing our carbon footprint and energy costs.
They have also replaced over 90% of both buildings' sinks, showers, and tubs with low-flow faucets, resulting in considerable savings of our precious natural resource, Water!
Single-use plastics have been entirely phased out and replaced with 100% recyclable aluminum products.
Aersol-based deodorizers for the restrooms have been replaced with long-lasting, non-toxic essential oil diffusers.
Thanks to an increase in recycling efforts and mindful purchasing, OAP has downsized its trash output from two dumpsters to just one.
Styrofoam, scrap metal, plastic bags/packaging sleeves/bubble wrap are also recycled, thanks to the dedicated staff, volunteers, and the Port Townsend Styrocyclers.
Vending machine beverages have eliminated plastic bottles and offer 100% recyclable aluminum can options.
The maintenance-engineering team and the Garden crew often team up to find ways to fix, upcycle, or donate items that are damaged or no longer needed, saving at least five pick-up truckloads of material from the landfill in 2021.
Packaging waste and separate deliveries are limited by purchasing whenever possible from Uline, which delivers products on pallets. This minimizes the need for extra cardboard and plastic used in traditional shipping methods. Pallets are then upcycled.
Housekeeping
The Housekeeping Team has moved towards non-toxic cleaning products, such as vinegar, whenever possible.
Canvas bags and totes have replaced plastic liners for transporting linens and towels to be laundered.
Linens are changed out upon request instead of daily, which saves our valuable resource, water!
Travel-sized toiletries (and their non-recyclable containers) have been replaced with refillable shampoo, conditioner, and soap dispensers.
Guests are encouraged to limit water waste by requesting fresh linens as needed.
In 2021, 75 gallons of donated expired coffee grounds were removed from their packaging and composted to feed our garden.
Sidewalks and paths are cleared by using electric leaf blowers, limiting emissions and noise pollution.
Spirits Bar & Grill
Spirits Bar & Grill is partnered with the local food bank to accept excess farm produce donations. The kitchen crew works hard each day providing freshly prepared boxed meals - over 9,000 to date - for Bayside Housing guests at the hotel property, to the tiny home villages in Port Hadlock and Port Townsend. Also, during the pandemic to the homeless encampment at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
Executive Chef Troy Murrell places a huge emphasis on sourcing fresh, high-quality foods, and infuses teaching and mentorship into the supervision of his crew.
Fresh garden herbs, vegetables, and fruits are harvested daily/weekly (when in season) for house-made focaccia bread, entree garnishes, salads, and desserts.
Humanely-raised meats and seafood are locally sourced whenever possible.
Locally sourced beer on tap supports our local economy and has a greatly decreased carbon footprint compared to bottled domestic beer.
All food that is not consumed by restaurant guests is composted, reducing methane-producing landfill waste by an average of 30 gallons per week.
Paper straws replace plastic ones, and to-go boxes and bags are compostable, eliminating a big source of single-use plastics.
Used kitchen oil is recycled and turned into biodiesel by Sequential.