Montecito Inn
Encyclopedia
Montecito Inn is a boutique hotel in the southwestern part of Montecito
, California
. It is considered a Santa Barbara
landmark. Located on Coast Village Road in Montecito
, adjacent to U.S. Route 101
, the inn is 2.5 blocks from Butterfly Beach
. Pleistocene
gravel deposits are evident nearby.
The hotel was built by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin
and friends in 1928 as an escape from showbiz
. The inn has a complete library of Chaplin's films; his image is seen in etched glass doors and in the hallways which are lined with movie posters. The 1936 Rodgers and Hart
song, There's a Small Hotel
, drew inspiration from the Montecito Inn.
, Marion Davies
, Janet Gaynor
, Carole Lombard
, Gilbert Roland
, and Norma Shearer
. The inn was the inspiration for the 1936 Rodgers and Hart
song, There's a Small Hotel
. But the original wishing well
that was inspiration for this song was destroyed in a 1950s renovation. The US$225,000 remodeling occurred subsequent to the property's purchase in 1956 by Avery Brundage
. The renovation included adding a parking facility and gardens. Though he sold the inn in 1960, he repossessed it the following year before selling it again in 1970 for over US$400,000. In 2003, the hotel underwent another interior renovation characterized by a Mediterranean style.
In 1938, the inn could accommodate 100 guests, with rates starting at US$2.50 for singles. In 1988, it reportedly had 53 rooms; there were 60 rooms in 2004.
wrote of the hotel in 1936, "A small hotel, it's the kind of place where one of Chandler's dissolute heiresses might easily have hung her Lily Dache hat." The hotel has a small fitness room, an outdoor swimming pool and spa, and wooden checkers tables in the hallway. Its Montecito Cafe, which serves California Nouveau cuisine
, sits on the location of the original wishing well.
There are many images of Chaplin throughout the hotel. These include movie posters, glass etchings, and a statue by the elevator. The hotel has a Charlie Chaplin film library. With the 2003 renovation, photos of Santa Barbara were added.
Montecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is considered a Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
landmark. Located on Coast Village Road in Montecito
Montecito
Montecito may refer to:*Montecito, California, a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California* Montecito , the codename used to designate a revision of the Intel Itanium 2 processor...
, adjacent to U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101, is an important north–south U.S. highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States...
, the inn is 2.5 blocks from Butterfly Beach
Butterfly Beach
Butterfly Beach may refer to;* Butterfly Beach, a beach near the city of Santa Barbara, California in Montecito, California* Butterfly Beach, a beach in Hong Kong ...
. Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
gravel deposits are evident nearby.
The hotel was built by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
and friends in 1928 as an escape from showbiz
Showbiz
-Charts and certifications:-Release history:-Personnel:Muse*Matthew Bellamy – vocals; guitars; piano; Hammond organ on "Falling Down", "Unintended" and "Escape"; mellotron on "Muscle Museum" and "Unintended", Wurlitzer electric piano on "Fillip" and "Hate This & I'll Love You"; synthesizers...
. The inn has a complete library of Chaplin's films; his image is seen in etched glass doors and in the hallways which are lined with movie posters. The 1936 Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist Lorenz Hart...
song, There's a Small Hotel
There's a Small Hotel
"There's a Small Hotel" is a 1936 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart originally written for but dropped from the musical "Billy Rose's Jumbo" , then used in On Your Toes , where it was introduced by Ray Bolger and Doris Carson and also interpolated in the film...
, drew inspiration from the Montecito Inn.
History
Construction began in 1927, and was completed the following year at a cost of US$300,000. Similar to a Hollywood premiere, the February opening gala included Wallace BeeryWallace Beery
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill opposite Marie Dressler, as Long John Silver in Treasure Island, as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa!, and his titular role in The Champ, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
, Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
, Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor was an American actress and painter.One of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, in 1928 Gaynor became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven , Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Street Angel...
, Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
, Gilbert Roland
Gilbert Roland
Gilbert Roland was a Mexican-born American film actor.He was born Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico and originally intended to become a bullfighter like his father. When the family moved to the United States, however, he became interested in acting when he was...
, and Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
. The inn was the inspiration for the 1936 Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist Lorenz Hart...
song, There's a Small Hotel
There's a Small Hotel
"There's a Small Hotel" is a 1936 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart originally written for but dropped from the musical "Billy Rose's Jumbo" , then used in On Your Toes , where it was introduced by Ray Bolger and Doris Carson and also interpolated in the film...
. But the original wishing well
Wishing well
A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the idea that water housed deities or had been placed there as a gift from the gods, since water was a source of life and...
that was inspiration for this song was destroyed in a 1950s renovation. The US$225,000 remodeling occurred subsequent to the property's purchase in 1956 by Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage was an American amateur athlete, sports official, art collector, and philanthropist. Brundage competed in the 1912 Olympics and was the US national all-around athlete in 1914, 1916 and 1918...
. The renovation included adding a parking facility and gardens. Though he sold the inn in 1960, he repossessed it the following year before selling it again in 1970 for over US$400,000. In 2003, the hotel underwent another interior renovation characterized by a Mediterranean style.
In 1938, the inn could accommodate 100 guests, with rates starting at US$2.50 for singles. In 1988, it reportedly had 53 rooms; there were 60 rooms in 2004.
Architecture and fittings
The inn is a three-story Mediterranean-style hotel with a red tile roof, whitewashed walls and "overflowing flower boxes". Many of the rooms contain French provincial furnishings; bathrooms are of Italian marble, which is repeated in the lobby. Chaplin's favorite room was the Tower Suite which is popular today with honeymooners. Richard RogersRichard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
wrote of the hotel in 1936, "A small hotel, it's the kind of place where one of Chandler's dissolute heiresses might easily have hung her Lily Dache hat." The hotel has a small fitness room, an outdoor swimming pool and spa, and wooden checkers tables in the hallway. Its Montecito Cafe, which serves California Nouveau cuisine
California Cuisine
California cuisine is a style of cuisine marked by an interest in fusion cuisine and in the use of freshly prepared local ingredients.The food is typically prepared with strong attention to presentation...
, sits on the location of the original wishing well.
There are many images of Chaplin throughout the hotel. These include movie posters, glass etchings, and a statue by the elevator. The hotel has a Charlie Chaplin film library. With the 2003 renovation, photos of Santa Barbara were added.