Welcome, Padre
There's always a temptation to look at the comings and goings of individual businesses in Bakersfield's long-suffering downtown district and cite certain transitions as evidence of a turnaround -- or a downturn. A recent string of failed retail stores on one street, a tiny, hopeful new art gallery on another.
But the $18 million renovation of the 82-year-old Padre Hotel, which celebrates its grand re-opening this week, is a development that truly promises to reinvigorate a central corridor that hasn't sparkled since the 1970s. The distinctive old building adds dozens of hotel rooms to a city that can use another good excuse to promote tourism, and the addition of four eateries under one roof promises to build on a downtown-dining synergy that has been growing, ever so slightly, for a few years now.
Perhaps just as important, the Padre represents addition by subtraction -- one fewer vacant building (and a big one at that) sits idle, reinforcing the notion that downtown Bakersfield is not the place for sane business owners to venture.
Give the Padre a look-see when the doors open, but remember neighboring businesses, too -- and pay them a visit.
