Tim Hills and How McMenamins Saves History In The Pacific Northwest

With headquarters in a former funeral home, hotels in historic schools and pubs in theaters, McMenamins is decidedly unconventional. And the Pacific Northwest family-owned company’s passion is rescuing old buildings and turning them into an eclectic collection of breweries, pubs and historic hotels.

In addition to preserving buildings, they also preserve neighborhood histories. On-staff historian, Tim Hills, who interviews community members, gathers photos and artifacts and works with artists to ensure that a property’s past is woven into the updated spaces.

Tim is working on a couple of new properties including an old Elks Lodge in Tacoma, Wash., and the Kalama Hotel in Kalama, Wash. The Kalama is a newly constructed hotel, that is inspired by the area’s Hawaiian roots and will be modeled after the historic Pioneer Inn in Lahaina, Maui.

Listen as Paul and Tim talk about what makes travel interesting.