SEQUIM — Red Ranch Inn, one of the first motels in Sequim, has again been closed.

It was unknown why the motel closed.

The most recent owners were Dong and Yun Kim. Attempts to contact them were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Until further notice

A sign is posted in the window of the 55-room motel’s office at 830 W. Washington St., stating that as of Jan. 1, the Red Ranch is closed until further notice.

The motel has a history of ownership changes over the past 10 years.

A Seattle man, J.C. Choi, who owned the property since 1998, tried to keep it afloat but eventually found himself in foreclosure in 2004, when Chang Cho, operating under the corporate name of Bellma Inc., closed escrow on the property for $1.1 million.

Choi had paid $1.9 million for the buildings and near-acre lot about six years prior to 1998.

The motel is more than 30 years old and was once owned by Emily Westcott and Ken Whitney, who bought and expanded the motel and opened a restaurant next door.

Westcott said the motel has had about seven ownerships since she sold it in the early 1990s. She also sold the restaurant.

“It’s just a shame,” Westcott said. “I hope it just doesn’t sit there and become a dump.”

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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.