San Dimas Hotel , also known as Walker House , Carruthers Household , and San Dimas Mansion , is a historic structure in San Dimas, California, built by the San Jose Animal Husbandry Company in 1887. Originally built as a hotel, the 15,000 square foot (1,400 m 2 ) structure has 33 rooms and 14 fireplaces. The hotel was built to anticipate a land boom that never happened, and there was never a paying guest. In 1889, the property was sold to James W. and Sue Walker for $ 25,000. After being occupied by seven generations of Walker, this property turned into a restaurant in 1979. The building became vacant in 1997 and was later acquired and renovated by the City of San Dimas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Video San Dimas Hotel
Architecture and history
Construction as a railway hotel
San Dimas Hotel was built as a "railroad hotel" on the mainland that is part of San Jose Rancho. In 1885, the continent's Santa Fe train completed its path between Los Angeles and San Bernardino, and there was hope that a ground explosion would develop along the railroad tracks. To anticipate the boom, San Jose Ranch Co., a company operated by Moses Wicks and other investors, built the San Dimas Hotel. It is one of the many hotels built in every town along the railway line between Pasadena and San Bernardino. It's only the second building in San Dimas, and is reported to be the only surviving 1880s railroad hotel in Southern California.
The owner hired one of the state's most prestigious architects, Joseph Cather Newsom, to design the structure. Newsom and his brother, Samuel, built many prestigious buildings throughout California at the end of the 19th century, including Carson Mansion in Eureka, California. The wood used to build the hotel floated on the shore of Oregon and Northern California on a large wooden raft, and transported from San Pedro to San Dimas. The Victorian Queen Anne style structure has 15,000 square feet (1,400 m 2 ) and was completed in 1887. It was designed with a variety of surface materials, including diamond-shingles. Ten tons of shingles are used on the saddle roof. It also has a sunburst medal, an ornamental dome, balcony, corner tower, seven chimneys for 14 fireplaces, a large front porch, 140 feet (43 m) veranda, 12-foot (3.7 m) ceiling, 18 bedrooms (33 rooms in all), and colored glass windows.
However, by the time the hotel was finished, the economic depression hit Southern California, and the hotel never had a paid guest. Its original inhabitants were Moses Wicks and his associates at San Jose Ranch Co. In April 1889, the Los Angeles Times described this hotel as "one of the boom companies that was never paid for investment, because there was no need for hotels there." At that time, the owner, Mr. Wicks, was negotiate to sell the property to Odd Fellows for use as an "eleemosynary institution."
Ninety years as the home of the Walkers and Carruthers
James W. Walker, a prosperous merchant from Kentucky, bought the hotel and 40 acres (160,000 m 2 ) around it for use as his family home in 1889. Walker became a successful citrus farmer, and the home became the center of community life in San Dimas and East San Gabriel Valley. Many clubs and social groups in the area meet at home, and it is also the location of the first school and first church service in San Dimas. For 90 years from 1889 to 1978, six generations of the Walker family lived in altered hotels. From 1910 to 1960s, the house was occupied by Ny. Raymond I. Carruthers, grandson of James M. Walker. During this time, the house was commonly known as "Carruthers Home." In 1961, Ny. Carruthers notes that the cost of maintenance is huge: "Whenever I have a repair bill, I feel as though it's a hotel." He died in August 1967.
Even in the mid-1970s, the Walker-Carruthers-Brunner family maintained the old structure. In 1975, home residents included Jim Carruthers, his sister, Sue Brunner, her husband, Fred Brunner, and their children. The hotel's old desk, decorated with wood, still sits at the foot of a large staircase. In 2005, an elderly resident of San Dimas recalls that a butler wearing a tuxedo and a white glove would greet guests at the mansion.
Convert to restaurant
In 1979, the house was leased to Don Wilcott, who renamed the "San Dimas Mansion" property and opened an elegant dining restaurant called Mansion Inn. Extensive changes were made to the structure to accommodate the restaurant. The restaurant was a temporary success, serving food for John Wayne and Richard Nixon, although closed in the late 1980s. The Carruthers family remained the owner and rented the old house for personal use for several years.
Jobs and recovery
The building was empty starting in 1997. In 1998, the San Dimas West Arts Festival acquired rental options on the property, which were then assigned to the City of San Dimas. The city finally bought the house in 2000. During that decade the house was left empty, local residents and preservationists complained that "the only historic building in town" was left to rot. The city of San Dimas bought the property and undertook extensive plans to renovate the structure as a community asset for use by the San Dimas Art Festival and other community organizations. Renovation and construction work took place in 2007 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The cost of renovation is $ 6.5 million, with a portion funded by a preservation grant from J. Paul Getty Trust.
Maps San Dimas Hotel
Historical introduction
In 1967, Los Angeles County gave the status of building a historic landmark. It has also been recognized by the State of California as a point of historical interest. And in 1972, it was also added to the National Register of Historic Places. This house has been recognized for its historical significance because of its architecture and role in the history of San Dimas and East San Gabriel Valley. University of California, Berkeley School of Architecture chose a structure to describe the Victorian Era in its permanent exhibition at "The California House."
Museums and community use
The restored Walker House is now home to the Community and San Dimas Historical Museum, a community art gallery on the second floor, and office space for the San Dimas Art Festival.
The museum is open on a limited basis, like an art gallery. San Dimas Historical Society provides guided tours to Walker House on the third Saturday of each month. Limited space and reservations required.
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California
References
External links
- Walker House video profile
- San Dimas City web page at Walker House
- San Dimas Historical Society & amp; Museum
- Office of Historic Preservation Proposal
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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