The New Hotel Carquinez is a five story reinforced concrete structure with basement. The two street facades are faced with brick veneer. The major attractive physical characteristic is the ornamental cast cement plaster cornice on the two street facades.

From the time the hotel opened until the 1970s, it was the only conference center in Richmond. Every significant history making business meeting, dinner or luncheon, for the Chamber of Commerce was held here. Every service and social club convened here, such as the Santa Fe Railroad, the Standard Oil Company and the Rotary Club.

From 1930 to 1940, Richmond's population grew from about 20,000 people to 23,462. By 1944, the population was approximately 123,000 due to the new World War II shipyards.

Source: Adapted from the NRHP nomination submitted in 1992.

When we photographed the hotel in May of 2006, it was doing business as the Carquinez Senior Apartments.