How this California city wants to return a prison to its glory days as a luxurious hotel

Before it became a prison, the California Correctional Facility in Norco was a luxury hotel, sanitorium and Navy hospital.

When it closes next year, Norco city leaders hope to restore it as an upscale resort again. But that plan faces complications that range from renovating the Art Deco architecture and remediating asbestos, to concerns about layoffs of correctional staff.

The prison is on track to close in 2026 , after the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced this month that it’s no longer needed because of the state’s falling prison population. It will be the fifth to shut down during Newsom’s administration, and its closure could save the state $150 million.

Norco Councilmember Kevin Bash is the city's unofficial historian, and wrote about the facility