The Stokes room, built during the expansion of the Inn’s infrastructure due to the increasing amount of visitors to the Big Sur coast, served as housing for Stokes Evans. As more people began to travel the newly opened scenic Highway 1, Helmuth and Helen’s need for help increased. The growing number of visitors to the Big Sur Inn required a staff to help with the daily workings of a flourishing new business. Stokes arrived at the Inn circa 1958 and served as the maintenance man and wood gatherer for 20 years. Stokes remodeled the building, now the Stokes building, to function as a living space on one side and his workshop on the other. Stokes was responsible for gathering wood for the guest rooms and maintaining the grounds. Whether he was a skilled wood carver and builder before he came to the Inn or acquired this skill during his 20 year tenure is unknown. He carved signs, made frames for paintings and photographs, built furniture for the Inn and assisted Helmuth with his multitude of building projects over the years. Stokes Evans legacy lives on in his craftsmanship and skilled woodwork which is visible throughout the Inn today.