History of the Tally Ho Inn

“The Tally Ho Inn carries a unique character molded by its unusual architectural history.”

The Tally Ho Inn first began life in 1964 as one of a number of guest cottages constructed by the Pine Inn. The original cottage was built as a result of the Pine Inn’s immense popularity. Before the construction of the Pine Inn cottages, additional guests had to be accommodated on the hotel’s front lawn.

The Pine Inn cottages were located where the Tally Ho Inn and the Lobos Lodge stand today. In addition to individual one-to eight-room cottages, guests were provided with such amenities as a putting green, nearby horse stables, and tennis courts (which make up the Tally Ho parking lot today). Cottages were equipped with heat, hot water, and telephones as well as complete hotel service provided by the Pine Inn.

In 1945, Jimmy Hatlo, a New York cartoonist known for creating They’ll Do It Every Time, and Little Iodine, purchased the Tally Ho Inn and the tennis courts which were then part of the Lobos Lodge complex.

Mr. and Mrs. Hatlo hired Hugh Comstock, a Carmel builder known for his “fairy-tale” architecture, to remodel the cottage into a mansion. Comstock added several rooms, a patio and deck, and personally carved the newel post at the foot of the stairway. The interior “bleached” walls, which are still visible in the lobby, and adobe-faced exterior were Comstock’s trademarks.

The Comstock remodeling began in 1945 during World War II, and the Hatlos and Mr. Comstock were at their wit’s end trying to procure the necessary building supplies. Thus, the Hatlo’s completed home was dubbed “Wit’s End.”

The Tally Ho Inn carries a unique character molded by its unusual architectural history. For example, during the completion of the Inn, Santa Barbara had been shelled by Japanese submarines. The Hatlos, frightened that the Monterey Bay was next, built a bomb shelter with a massive door much like the bulkhead doors on a ship. The bomb shelter was later converted into a maintenance room.

The quaint little fireplace in the English garden has an interesting history as well. During a vacation, the Hatlos had asked their gardener to build them a fire pit in their patio so that they could have bonfires in the evening. After returning from their vacation and much to their suprise, the Hatlo’s found that the gardener had constructed what is now the rustic center piece to our beautiful little English garden.

Around 1952, the Hatlo home was converted into an Inn by actor Joel McCrea’s brother, Tom McCrea. The Tally Ho has been handed down by a number of different owners through the years and has been beautifully remodeled offering the finest in accommodations and views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Lucia mountains.

The most recent owner, Richard Gunner, purchased the hotel in 1993. His touches have restored the English countryside ambiance of the Tally Ho Inn.

History of Carmel-By-The-Sea

Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo first sighted the white-sandy beach and pine forest of Carmel 50 years after Columbus discovered America. In 1602, another venturesome Spaniard Sebastian Vizcaino, and three Carmelite friars found a river valley, which they named “El Rio Carmelo.” On June 3, 1771, Father Junipero Serra founded the second California mission, which still stands on the edge of the present day Carmel-by-the-Sea. The mission was secularized in 1833, and the City of Carmel was incorporated on October 31, 1916.

The small village of Carmel-by-the-Sea represents a microcosm of everything, which has contributed to the Californian dream—independence, creativity, and tireless spirit. Carmel’s early residents, which included authors George Sterling and Jack London and poet Robinson Jeffers, settled in tents, built smoky fires in the woods, and picnicked on the beach, and cooked abalone stew on the fire.

These early inhabitants were determined to create an intellectual oasis on the inspiring, sparsely populated Central Coast of California. After the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, many members of the city’s cultural community decided to make Carmel their permanent home. Their migration firmly established Carmel as the progressive artistic and cultural hub in Northern California.

Bent on promoting an environment conducive to creativity, Carmel’s founders fought to ensure the proliferation and appreciation of art, drama and literature. By 1915, the Outdoor Forest Theatre was presenting celebrated performances, and the theater became a central part of Carmel life.

The Carmel Library boasted almost 3,000 volumes, proof that the village maintained a special appreciation for history and the arts. Additionally, every issue of the Carmel Pine Cone, to this day, the village’s main source of local news, feature original poetry, and local theater productions often command the lead story on page one.

By the time Carmel-by-the-Sea became a city in 1916, the population had grown to almost 450. The village was composed of luminaries such as authors Sinclair Lewis, Mary Austin, and Lincoln Steffens. At one point, local writers Grace Sartwell Mason, Frederick Becholdt, and Harry Leon Wilson all appeared in the same week’s edition of the Saturday Evening Post. Legend has it that Robert Louis Stevenson received his inspiration for Treasure Island while walking on the beach near Point Lobos.

The natural environment was also of primary concern to the residents of Carmel, who were dedicated to the preservation of the sparkling blue seas and majestic Monterey pine trees. To that end, in 1917 Ordinance No. 7 was adopted, which made it a misdemeanor to “cut down, remove, injure or mutilate any tree, shrub or bush growing or standing on any of the streets, squares, parks or public places.” The law is still on the books and is strictly enforced. Their efforts have resulted in a legacy of external harmony where the ocean, land and native creatures have remained relatively untouched.

During the 1920s, Carmel-by-the-Sea, like the rest of the nation, flourished in an economy run rampant. But as the Great Depression took hold, real estate prices tumbled for the first time. Some locals bemoaned the fact that grocers no longer offered personal credit to Carmel’s starving writer class. Said one wag, “Time was when the Carmel grocer was big brother to many a writer and artist struggling toward fame and a check that would pay for ham and eggs.” The economic situation improved when Roosevelt took over the presidency, and 50 local writers found jobs with the Federal Writing Project, whose office occupied a small cubby next to the village post office.

Having weathered its way through World War II, during the 1960s, Carmel-by-the-Sea continued on the forefront of creativity. Lucky tourists could watch Donald Teague demonstrate the development of his illustration for Sergeant Houck, a story in Colliers. Or for those that preferred photography, Edward Weston’s work was displayed at the New Group Gallery’s first photographic exhibition. Isaac Stern thrilled music lovers with a program for the Carmel Music Society.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Carmel strengthened and grew, with an increasing amount of business activity taking place downtown. Artists continued to reside in the village, quite often transcending modern changes in the city. The list of creative residents was endless: impressionist artist William Ritschel, noted psychologist, Dr. Eric Berne, and Leon Uris, author of Exodus.