A proposed plan to reconstruct the historic Octagonal building as a Scotts Valley Historical museum is currently in the works.
Eric Taylor, the Cultural Resource Commissioner for the City of Scotts Valley, said that the Octagon Building was built in 1930 as a part of the Beverly Gardens Resort located near Scotts Valley Drive.
“The Octagon Building was part of the Beverly Gardens, which was built by the Archibald (family) who lost their son Beverly in World War I …” he explained. “They featured exotic birds and the Octagon Building was a breeding hooch for those exotic birds.”
This octagonal-shaped building was among three aviaries that the Beverly Gardens complex offered, along with a main dining facility, ten cabins, Scotts Valley’s first swimming pool/tank, a nursery, and beautifully landscaped gardens, according to a story published by the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Taylor’s grandfather, John Sinnhuber, bought the resort in 1938 and revitalized it, calling it the Beverly Lodge. The restaurant became the main focus of the complex, with Dora Sinnhuber, his wife, serving excellent culinary creations there.
Sinnhuber sold the Octagon Building in 1948, and it was moved to 5030 Scotts Valley Drive where it remained until it was dismantled in 2009.
The building had many different owners throughout the years and housed an array of different businesses including a hardware store, post office, and carpet shop.
“In 1948, it became Helen Nanna’s hardware store and a post office, so she was the first postmistress of Scotts Valley,” Taylor said.
The redwood two-by-fours, which served as the rafter system in the upper portion of the Octagon building, were salvaged during its deconstruction.
“The next venture for this building is to hopefully find a place to reconstruct it somewhere on the MacDorsa Park property,” Taylor said.
Currently, the Scotts Valley Historical Society is working with the Scotts Valley City Council to finalize a location for the building, to be reconstructed as a historical museum for the city’s artifacts, said Chuck Fetter, president of the Scotts Valley Historical Society. Pieces salvaged from the recently dismantled Polo Barn would also be implemented into the design.
“We would like to build a museum right here and that would incorporate this area into a heritage park with the Scott House and a working museum that students can visit,” Fetter said.
The museum would be run by members of the historical society and volunteers, and would feature different aspects of Scotts Valley’s history.
“The design would be such that we could have different segments to display different artifacts and segments of our community,” Fetter explained.
