In December of 1919 W. Herndon Hitchcock
purchased the Green Hotel from the Kern
County Land Company. Herndon and his
sister Marion operated The Hotel until his
death in 1951 when the property became
Marion’s. In 1982 The Hotel, with its many
period furnishing and decorative pieces was
deeded to the Shafter Historical Society. In
May of 1986 The Green Hotel Restoration
Committee was formed.

At the onset of the restoration this
volunteer committee was solely responsible
for generating funds and developing and
directing the restoration of The Hotel and
its grounds. A volunteer force, which became
known as The Green Hotel Cooks, continues
to support the maintenance of the landmark
with their contributions of time, creativity,
and resources.

The project began with a substantial grant
from the State of California Office of Historic
Preservation, Department of Parks and
Recreation. Other significant grants came
from the Ben H. and Gladys Arkelian
Foundation, the Harry and Ethel West
Foundation, the City of Shafter and the
Bakersfield Californian Foundation.

We also have a long list of generous donors
and have had the invaluable assistance of
the men of Teen Challenge and our local
community service organizations. The City
of Shafter designated The Green Hotel and
grounds as an historic site. The Hotel is a Kern
County Point of Historic Interest and is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.

The city has completed a downtown
redevelopment using the landmark as its
focal point. The Green Hotel is the geographic
and architectural hub of downtown Shafter.