Visit Date: November 9, 2019In a previous post, I discussed the amazing day I had visiting the Angels Hotel in Angels Camp. The day was fantastic but not all of the buildings I saw that day were. The Angels Hotel is still in superb conditions, still being used as an active business as well as having an owner who is actively maintaining it. In contrast, just prior to photographing the hotel, I visited a structure in absolute dire need of repair, if that is even possible at this point. The Romaggi Fandango Hall in Albany Flat, Calaveras County needs help now! The Romaggi Fandango Hall was been in a state of disrepair for many years. The building seems to have really suffered since 1948 when the Heizer and Fenanga in their Highway 49 building survey wrote that "Few buildings in the entire Mother Lode can match this for size, excellence of construction, and elaborateness." However by 1961, one historian noted that the while walls of the main building were still solid, the side walls were in ruins. The structure though was still notable enough that it was specifically identified on the 1962 USGS Angels Camp topographical map. It's actually surprising that the building even still stands. In the 1930s the Historic American Buildings Survey visited and documented the "James Romaggi Fandango House". The photos from this survey are available online from the Library of Congress. Those photos are shown below. Note the condition of the roof in these photos, but more importantly, look how close to Highway 49 the building sat. How did someone not plow into the house after after having a few too many on a Friday night?
Every passing year without repair makes the job of saving the building that much more difficult. As you can see in these 2019 photos. I do hope that they are able to save the building. I just don't want to get to the point where I say that I am happy I visited in 2019 because it no longer stands. Too many of these building save disappeared already. I wish this building had the love of the Angels Hotel.
1 Comment
Sebastian Nelson
8/23/2021 06:43:46 pm
Fixer upper!
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AuthorMy name is Jeff and I am on a hunt to find historic brick and stone structures along Highway 49. Archives
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