A historic hotel near the top of a mountain in North Bay is looking for new owners.
The Mountain Home Inn, built in 1912 and located at 810 Panoramic Highway in Mill Valley, hit the market last week with a list price of $4.9 million.
The only commercial property in Mount Tamalpais State Park, the multi-story, 80,000-square-foot inn features 10 rooms and a full kitchen and dining area. It offers stunning views of San Francisco Bay and access to several hiking trails.
“It’s truly a gateway to Mount Tam,” said broker Jim Schultz of Meridian Commercial Real Estate. “It’s 10 minutes from downtown Mill Valley, but miles from everything that’s happening down below.”
According to the inn’s website, the property was originally built by Swiss-German immigrants Claude and Martha Meyers and became a landmark along the Mill Valley and Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway, built in 1886 and known as the “curviest railroad in the world.”
The inn’s website also states that the property was owned in the 1970s by Dieter Dengler – the German-born pilot whose capture and escape during the Vietnam War was the basis for the book and 2006 film “Rescue Dawn,” starring Christian Bale – before Edward and Susan Cunningham bought it in 1981 and completely remodeled the building.
“We wanted to get into the boutique hotel market,” said Susan Cunningham. “We looked for hotels that we fell in love with. We looked for historic buildings.”
Her husband happened to see a “For Sale” sign in front of the inn while jogging in Mill Valley and bought the property “on a handshake,” Cunningham said.
She said the inn, surrounded by Mount Tam and Muir Woods, is a “magical” setting, surrounded by redwood trees and swirling mist.
Cunningham, whose husband died in 2022, said that after 40 years of running the inn, it was now time for someone else to “take the inn to the next level.”
“I’m 76 and I don’t have to run a hotel empire anymore,” she said. “It’s very bittersweet for me, but I know it’s time to do it. I’m excited about the future.”
For more information, visit pdne.ws/3SOAork.
