Norconian Hotel
History
On the site where California Rehabilitation Center ↗ CRC now stands, the 700-acre (280 ha) Lake Norconian Resort Supreme opened in 1929 as "the opulent playground of some of Hollywood's biggest names." The Norconian hotel closed in 1940 and then served as a Navy hospital from 1941 to 1957. "The old Norconian and several of the newer outlying buildings were turned over to the state" to create CRC, and the first inmates arrived in January 1963. However, in 2002, "CRC vacated the building after learning it had to be seismically retrofitted." Efforts are underway to preserve the hotel.
There are persistent yet untrue stories among CRC inmates and some staff that the abandoned Norconian hotel was used for the cover artwork for the Eagles' album Hotel California. These stories claim that the front cover shot, and/or the rear cover interior shot were taken at the hotel. This has contributed to the prison's nickname of "Hotel California" among inmates throughout the California prison system.
As of 2006, although CRC was considered "one of California's best prisons," it was overcrowded, "under nearly constant lockdown to prevent fights," had buildings "so antiquated that the electricity is shut off during rainstorms so the prisoners aren't electrocuted," had a "three-month-long waiting list" for its drug rehabilitation program, and was "short 75 guards." In March 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited the prison, citing its "huge overcrowding problem" in a speech on his "prison and county jail-building program."
Although CRC had been "the only California prison to house both men and women," in April 2007, the women's wing of CRC was closed "to make room for more men" and because "the aging facility did not have the space needed to care for female inmates properly." Approximately 800 female CRC inmates were relocated to the California Institution for Women, Central California Women's Facility, and Valley State Prison for Women. On April 22, 2019, a Northrop N-9M aircraft crashed on the grounds of the facility, resulting in the death of its pilot. There were no casualties on the ground.
See also [ Norconian Resort Supreme ]
Notable inmates
- Archie Bryant – Currently serving a 16-year sentence for his part in the conspiracy to commit murder case of Sunny Han.
- Tim Lambesis – Pleaded guilty to soliciting the murder of his wife, released on parole after serving two years of his six-year sentence.
- Kellen Winslow II- Former NFL player and a first-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns. On February 19, 2021, Winslow agreed and accepted a 14-year prison sentence for one count of rape and two counts of assault.
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