Tioga Hotel Merced

Built in 1928 and still the tallest building in Merced, the historic Hotel Tioga was reborn as the centerpiece of downtown in an award-winning rehabilitation honored with the California Preservation Foundation’s 2021 Preservation Design Award. Sestak Design served as lighting designer for the project, giving the landmark new life after dark. A programmable color-changing LED system washes the building’s ornate upper cornice and arched windows, letting the entire facade shift from warm white to royal blue, red, or magenta for holidays, causes, and civic celebrations. Warm architectural lighting defines the storefronts and arched entrance at street level, while the restored rooftop sign glows above it all, visible across the city. The result turns a 1928 treasure into a beacon for Merced’s revitalized Main Street.