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Eureka’s prized Pink Lady Mansion is going pinker than ever before.

A makeover is currently underway to transform the Queen Anne Victorian from its iconic rosy hue to a vivid hot pink. The new paint job is a part of a years-long effort to revamp The Pink Lady, which rebranded as “The Pinc” shortly after Jacqueline Kretchmer took its helm in 2020. The boutique hotel now hosts guests in its four rooms and, eventually, Kretchmer plans to open a café in its basement and a gift shop in the carriage house out back.

“I think it’s essential that we invite people into this space because it’s the only way it can be saved and preserved,” she told the Outpost during a tour of the mansion. “There are very few [Victorians] that are all original. You can go to San Francisco, and [those houses] have maybe an original façade, but they’ve been gutted on the inside. This is unique, and we love to have people come and visit.”

Believe it or not, The Pink Lady wasn’t always pink. After the mansion was built in the late 1880s, a gift from lumber baron William Carson to his son and bride-to-be, the redwood exterior was stained a dark brown. There are some conflicting reports, but it seems the pink color scheme was adopted after former Eureka Mayor Robert Madsen purchased the property in the 1960s.

The recent color change has sparked fierce debate among Facebook’s esteemed design experts. In a community page comment section, some described the flamingo pink as “garish,” “gaudy,” “yuck bummer” and “not classy at all.” Many others were in favor of the transformation, with some saying “She’s beautiful no matter what!” and others likening the mansion to a real-life Barbie Dreamhouse. 

“I think it’s beautiful,” said one of the more practical commenters. “For those upset, remember in just a few years even that hot pink is going to fade. I think it’s good to let her shine for a while.”

Asked to share her thoughts on the negative comments, Kretchmer felt the new shade is in keeping with vibrant homes throughout Eureka and in other coastal communities.

“Not too long ago, I spent about three weeks driving the entire coastline around the United States, and every coastal town has bright, vibrant beach houses,” she said. “This is no different, and that’s what I love about it! It’s coastal, but it’s historical, and I think that’s most important. The Pink Lady stands out even better now.”

“The Carson Mansion looks a little dated now,” she joked. 

Kretchmer’s son, Mario Jarak, is doing most of the painting himself. While I took pictures of the exterior of the mansion, he pointed out some of the ornamental bits he had painted pink along the roofline that were previously washed over with white. He said it’s been “an honor and a privilege” to restore a piece of local history.

Kretchmer is still working out the details for the café planned for The Pink Lady’s basement, but she’s hoping to serve chowders and crepes once it opens, sometime after the renovations wrap up.

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