Designed by San Francisco architect Albert Farr in the manner of the great English Tudor houses, the Benbow Inn retains its integrity of architecture, atmosphere and setting.

The inn is located at the confluence of the East Branch and the South Fork Eel River near the Redwood Highway, which modernized the land connection between the San Francisco Bay Area and the remote redwood region of northern California. It was designed to serve the urban vacationer who sought natural beauty and gracious accommodations.

During its early years, Benbow Inn hosted prominent guests such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, John Barrymore, Basil Rathbone and Charles Laughton. It was popular with the movie crowd who would drive up from Hollywood.

Source: Adapted from the NRHP nomination submitted in 1983.