Deetjen's Big Sur Inn

Deetjen's Big Sur Inn is a cluster of rustic redwood buildings tucked into Castro Creek Canyon beside Highway 1 in Big Sur. Norwegian-born craftsman Helmuth Deetjen began it in 1936 with a barn for his goats, then added a residence, guest rooms and a dining room as travelers discovered the coast after the Carmel-San Simeon Highway opened. The five original buildings, finished by 1941, use post-and-beam redwood framing, vertical board-and-batten siding, native stone retaining walls and hand-carved railings and doors. Deetjen designed and supervised the work, drawing on the wooden vacation-house tradition of Norway, and used salvaged lumber and second-hand windows. The inn became a gathering place for local writers and artists. It is recognized as one of the earliest lodging and dining facilities serving Big Sur's growing tourist trade, and its buildings keep a strong sense of their original setting and craftsmanship. Later buildings on the south side of the canyon lie outside the historic boundary, and the inn still operates as an inn and restaurant.