It’s been almost four years since the City of Eureka condemned the notorious apartment building located across the street from The Shanty at 220 Third Street for what it deemed to be “unsafe and unsanitary conditions” and just all-around disgustingness. At the time, code enforcement officials noted that the then Floyd and Betty Squires-owned complex contained “large quantities of used hypodermic needles, feces, broken windows, hazardous wiring and plumbing, infestations of cockroaches” and that all the neglect had “led to it becoming a haven for drug dealers and addicts.” 

Following the closure, the city helped around twenty residents relocate. The building has been boarded up ever since. 

To locals aware of its reputation, the building had long commonly been referred to as the “Heroin Hilton.” The Eureka Police Department even opted to use the moniker officially in its press releases when it investigated illicit activities there. 

Well, if a group of ambitious locals and the building’s new owners can keep their dreams on track, the hope is that the community and travelers from around the world might one day come to know the space as something else. They’re toying around with the name “The SkyHorse Lodge.”