Around 1860 there was a small livery and store on this site.  In 1864 a fire swept through town destroying the livery and store along with most of the town.  The stone and brick buildings in town weathered the fire and a few wood buildings were spared as well.

After the fire Mr. I. N. Randolph built his saloon here.  His saloon thrived along with several other saloons, hotels, gambling halls and bordellos serving the miners during the gold rush era in the booming town of Sutter Creek.  Randolph’s saloon was replaced by Charles Boros saloon in 1884.  This is the building which still stands today as the Sutter Creek Palace.

Our first dining room facing Randolph Street was used as the ladies parlor which was separate from the saloon.  The door onto the street in this room was the ladies entrance into the building. 

A bordello operated upstairs in the six rooms above the saloon.  Gentlemen could enter the bordello here from a tunnel that runs from the American Exchange Hotel down the street to the basement of this building.  The gentlemen would travel through the tunnel then come up through the trap door in the ladies parlor which still exists today.  By using the tunnel upstanding citizens would not be seen coming or going from the bordello.  Today the entrance to the tunnel is bricked up and no longer in use but stands as a reminder of days gone by.

In the late 1940’s and the 1950’s Angelo Meve operated his business in this building.  It was called “Our Corner”.  Angelo is believed to have died in his room upstairs.  His spirit remains here still.  Angelo makes his presence known regularly and has been seen by several different people.  One patron claims to have a picture of friends at the front door with Angelo appearing in the photo posing along with the group.

An apparition of a lady in a long dark dress has been seen in the dining rooms on several occasions.  With the long and colorful history of our building we can be assured that there are more than a couple spirits watching over the place.  So if you feel the hairs rise on the back of your neck or feel someone standing next you only to turn and not see anyone chances are that you are in the presence of one of them.

Back to top of page