San Dimas Hotel
Encyclopedia
The San Dimas Hotel, also known as Walker House, the Carruthers Home, and the San Dimas Mansion, is a historic structure in San Dimas, California
, built by the San Jose Ranch Company in 1887. Originally built as a hotel, the 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) structure had 33 rooms and 14 fireplaces. The hotel was built in anticipation of a land boom that never happened, and it never had 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 Walkers, the property was 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.
, and there were expectations that a land boom would develop along the path of the railroad. In anticipation of the boom, the San Jose Ranch Co., a company operated by Moses Wicks and other investors, built the San Dimas Hotel. It was one of many hotels built in each town along the railroad between Pasadena and San Bernardino. It was only the second building in San Dimas, and is reported to be the only surviving 1880s era railroad hotel in Southern California.
The owners 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 in the late 19th Century, including the Carson Mansion
in Eureka, California
. The lumber used to build the hotel was floated down the coast from Oregon
and Northern California
on large lumber rafts, and hauled from San Pedro
to San Dimas. The Victorian architecture
Queen Anne style
structure had 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) and was completed in 1887. It was designed with a variety of surface materials, including diamond patterned shingles. Ten tons of shingles were used on the gable roof. It also had a sunburst medallion, an ornamental cupola
, balconies, corner towers, seven chimneys for 14 fireplaces, a large front porch, 140 feet (42.7 m) of veranda, 12 feet (3.7 m) ceilings, 18 bedrooms (33 rooms in all), and colored glass windows.
However, by the time the hotel was completed, an economic depression had hit Southern California, and the hotel never had any paying guests. Its original occupants were Moses Wicks and his partners in the San Jose Ranch Co. In April 1889, the Los Angeles Times described the hotel as "one of the boom enterprises that never paid as an investment, because there was no need of a hotel there." At that time, the owner, Mr. Wicks, was in negotiations to sell the property to the Odd Fellows
for use as "an eleemosynary institution."
. Many of the area's clubs and social groups met at the home, and it was also the site of the first school and the first church services in San Dimas. For 90 years from 1889 to 1978, six generations of the Walker family lived at the converted hotel. From the 1910s through the 1960s, the home was occupied by Mrs. Raymond I. Carruthers, the granddaughter of James M. Walker. During this time, the house was commonly known as the "Carruthers Home." In 1961, Mrs. Carruthers noted that the cost of upkeep was enormous: "Anytime I have a repair bill, I feel as if it is a hotel." She died in August 1967.
Even in the mid-1970s, the Walker-Carruthers-Brunner family preserved the old structure. In 1975, residents of the house included Jim Carruthers, his sister, Sue Brunner, her husband, Fred Brunner, and their children. The old hotel desk, decorated with wood turnings, still sat at the base of the large staircase. In 2005, an old resident of San Dimas recalled that a butler wearing a tuxedo and white gloves would greet guests at the mansion.
and Richard Nixon
, though it closed in the late-1980s. The Carruthers family remained the owners and leased the old mansion for private functions for several years.
.
. The house has been recognized as having historical significance because of both its architecture and its role in the history of San Dimas and the East San Gabriel Valley. The University of California, Berkeley
School of Architecture chose the structure to depict the Victorian Era in its permanent exhibit on "The California House."
The museum is open on a limited basis, as is the art gallery. The San Dimas Historical Society provides guided tours of the Walker House on the third Saturday of each month. Space is limited and reservations are required.
San Dimas, California
San Dimas is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 33,371. The city historically took its name from San Dismas Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains above the northern section of present day San Dimas...
, built by the San Jose Ranch Company in 1887. Originally built as a hotel, the 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) structure had 33 rooms and 14 fireplaces. The hotel was built in anticipation of a land boom that never happened, and it never had 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 Walkers, the property was 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
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.
Construction as a railroad hotel
The San Dimas Hotel was built as a "railroad hotel" on land that was part of the San Jose Rancho. In 1885, the transcontinental Santa Fe Railway completed its tracks between Los Angeles and San BernardinoSan Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
, and there were expectations that a land boom would develop along the path of the railroad. In anticipation of the boom, the San Jose Ranch Co., a company operated by Moses Wicks and other investors, built the San Dimas Hotel. It was one of many hotels built in each town along the railroad between Pasadena and San Bernardino. It was only the second building in San Dimas, and is reported to be the only surviving 1880s era railroad hotel in Southern California.
The owners 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 in the late 19th Century, including the Carson Mansion
Carson Mansion
The Carson Mansion is a large Victorian house located in Old Town, Eureka, California. Regarded as one of the highest executions of American Queen Anne Style architecture, the home is "considered the most grand Victorian home in America." It is one of the most written about and photographed...
in Eureka, California
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
. The lumber used to build the hotel was floated down the coast from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
on large lumber rafts, and hauled from San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
to San Dimas. The Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
structure had 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) and was completed in 1887. It was designed with a variety of surface materials, including diamond patterned shingles. Ten tons of shingles were used on the gable roof. It also had a sunburst medallion, an ornamental cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
, balconies, corner towers, seven chimneys for 14 fireplaces, a large front porch, 140 feet (42.7 m) of veranda, 12 feet (3.7 m) ceilings, 18 bedrooms (33 rooms in all), and colored glass windows.
However, by the time the hotel was completed, an economic depression had hit Southern California, and the hotel never had any paying guests. Its original occupants were Moses Wicks and his partners in the San Jose Ranch Co. In April 1889, the Los Angeles Times described the hotel as "one of the boom enterprises that never paid as an investment, because there was no need of a hotel there." At that time, the owner, Mr. Wicks, was in negotiations to sell the property to the Odd Fellows
Odd Fellows
Odd Fellows is a name broadly referring to any of a large number of friendly societies, fraternal and service organizations and/or Lodges.-Societies using the name "Odd Fellows" or variations:...
for use as "an eleemosynary institution."
Ninety years as the Walker and Carruthers family home
James W. Walker, a prosperous merchant from Kentucky, purchased the hotel and 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) surrounding for use as his family home in 1889. Walker became a successful citrus grower, and the house became a center of community life in San Dimas and the East San Gabriel ValleySan Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
. Many of the area's clubs and social groups met at the home, and it was also the site of the first school and the first church services in San Dimas. For 90 years from 1889 to 1978, six generations of the Walker family lived at the converted hotel. From the 1910s through the 1960s, the home was occupied by Mrs. Raymond I. Carruthers, the granddaughter of James M. Walker. During this time, the house was commonly known as the "Carruthers Home." In 1961, Mrs. Carruthers noted that the cost of upkeep was enormous: "Anytime I have a repair bill, I feel as if it is a hotel." She died in August 1967.
Even in the mid-1970s, the Walker-Carruthers-Brunner family preserved the old structure. In 1975, residents of the house included Jim Carruthers, his sister, Sue Brunner, her husband, Fred Brunner, and their children. The old hotel desk, decorated with wood turnings, still sat at the base of the large staircase. In 2005, an old resident of San Dimas recalled that a butler wearing a tuxedo and white gloves would greet guests at the mansion.
Conversion to restaurant
In 1979, the house was leased to Don Wilcott, who renamed the property the "San Dimas Mansion" and opened an elegant dining restaurant called the Mansion Inn. Extensive changes were made to the structure to accommodate the restaurant. The restaurant was a success for a time, serving meals to John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
and Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, though it closed in the late-1980s. The Carruthers family remained the owners and leased the old mansion for private functions for several years.
Vacancy and restoration
The building was vacant starting in 1997. In 1998, the San Dimas Festival of Western Arts acquired a lease-option on the property, which was later assigned to the City of San Dimas. The City eventually purchased the house in 2000. During the decade that the house was left vacant, area residents and preservationists complained that "the single most historical building in the city" was being left to rot. The City of San Dimas purchased the property and undertook an extensive plan to renovate the structure as a community asset for use by the San Dimas Festival of Arts and other community organizations. The renovation and construction work got under way in 2007 and was expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The cost of the renovation was $6.5 million, with a portion being funded by a preservation grant from the J. Paul Getty TrustJ. Paul Getty Trust
The J. Paul Getty Trust is the world's wealthiest art institution with an estimated endowment in April 2009 of $US 4.2 billion. Based in Los Angeles, California, it operates the J. Paul Getty Museum, which has two locations, the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Pacific...
.
Historic recognition
In 1967, Los Angeles County gave the building the status of a historical 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 PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The house has been recognized as having historical significance because of both its architecture and its role in the history of San Dimas and the East San Gabriel Valley. The University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
School of Architecture chose the structure to depict the Victorian Era in its permanent exhibit on "The California House."
Museum and community use
The restored Walker House is now the home of the San Dimas Historical Society and Museum, a community art gallery on the second floor, office space for the San Dimas Festival of the Arts, and a restaurant.The museum is open on a limited basis, as is the art gallery. The San Dimas Historical Society provides guided tours of the Walker House on the third Saturday of each month. Space is limited and reservations are required.