Descendants of Carlo Panizzera have been managers and owners of Occidental’s historic Union Hotel for nearly a century, and on June 26, the restaurant and ballroom (no longer a hotel) owned by Frank and Barbara Gonella is set to go up for sale for the first time since 1926.
The family had hoped to pass the land on to the fourth generation, but ultimately the time came when a choice had to be made for “the next 100 years,” Barbara Gonella said.
“It’s a very beautiful and sentimental time for us because it’s something that’s very near and dear to our soul,” she said. The couple was at the helm of the restaurant for many years with family matriarch Lucille Gonella, who died in 2021 at age 90. The Union Hotel, built in 1879, the Union Motel and several other properties owned by the Panizzella Trust were listed for sale after her death.
“You can really feel the history just being there,” said Michael Mazanec, a real estate broker with North Bay Commercial Real Estate, who is handling the sale. In recognition of its historic value, Mazanec is listing the property, which includes a restaurant business and both a Type 47 and 21 liquor licenses that allow consumption of beer, wine and spirits, for $3.2 million. Sonoma County’s exclusive Type 47 licenses can resell for more than $150,000.
To Barbara Gonella, author of a 2021 book on Occidental’s history, the Union Hotel is more than just a building: She describes the 13,000-square-foot space that first housed railroad workers and later passengers of the North Pacific Railroad as a collection of memories.
In a memoir sent to a friend, the author wrote: “Zien (the Gonnella’s daughter) plays the piano in the ballroom, a room where life is joyfully celebrated and death is sadly mourned. The sound of the piano echoes through the courtyard as we gather around the fireplace and reminisce about precious memories.”
“When the occasional storm came through, the hotel was a safe haven of minestrone soup and coffee. It was the only light on in the hotel. We had ravioli, minestrone soup, carols at weddings, we baked cookies and celebrated life,” she added in a phone interview from her office.
“This decision was not made lightly. For many years, the Union Hotel was a 24-hour business, baking bread at 4 a.m., opening for dinner until 6 p.m., and then the bar was open until 2 a.m.,” Gonella said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Frank Gonella built an outdoor courtyard for guests in the small town, making it a haven.
The couple plan to split their time between running a guesthouse they rent out to tourists in West County, delivering homemade biscotti to old friends and gardening, one of Gonella’s favorite hobbies.
“That building has such a beautiful old soul, and I’d just like to be the gardener for whoever buys it,” she said.
The hotel restaurant is open Friday to Sunday from 11am to 8pm.