A historic schoolhouse in Avila Beach is set to become a bed and breakfast.
The schoolhouse on the corner of San Luis St. and San Antonia St. is on its way to becoming a bed and breakfast — all while keeping its historic charm.
Albert Aji is a resident who lives just across the street from the schoolhouse. He said he’s excited to see progress.
“I like action,” Aji said. “So in my opinion, it's good if they preserve it and do something soon.”
Steve Lieberman, the planning commissioner for the Avila Beach Area, said he was influenced by his childhood to approve the project.
“We've paved over railways that provided streetcar service for mass transportation,” Lieberman said. “We've torn down so many historic structures. It's a huge opportunity to maintain that little bit of historic California."
The renovation will include rebuilding a bell tower and adding a second floor under the preexisting structure. There will be eight bedrooms for guests and it will include a museum with artifacts from the building.
For now, Lieberman said it’s far from the finished product. There are infrastructure projects that need to be done before construction can begin
“If you drive by the schoolhouse today, it's anything but beautiful. The building is very worn. It's overgrown with vegetation,” he said.
Aji said the bed and breakfast will be a good addition to the town, especially because of how busy it gets in the summer.
“Anything extra, I believe it will be goo,d but I don’t know what the other tenants will think about it,” Aji said. “For me, anything extra will be great.”
