Wikipedia says "The Maryland Hotel existed from the early 1900s and was demolished in
1934. (Note: On April 27, 1935, Mary Stubbs Warner sailed from NY to
SanFran and listed her home as The Maryland Hotel in Pasadena,
California. This demolition date should be verified.)"Mary Warner's address is possible. Most of the hotel burned down in 1914, but not this part.
I couldn't find the name of the architect, although Myron Hunt designed the pergola. But that's long gone.
I jotted a note that this photo was taken in 1910, but now I can't find my note.
The bulk of the hotel (and I do mean bulk) burned down in 1914. A few online sources state the location as Colorado Blvd., where this picture might have been taken. It's noted that the photo was taken at Colorado and Los Robles, which I at first thought was a mistake. The building in my photo, the only remaining vestige of the hotel, is on the northeast corner of Union and Euclid. That's more than a city block of building burned down.
The fire started during "the usual Saturday night dance." No one was hurt, and most everyone's luggage was saved. This April, 1914 New York Times article (click "view full article") says the "hotel probably will be rebuilt."
You can see the Maryland from City Hall, and there's a commemorative plate, although I don't know where you can get one. I guess there's a lot I don't know about the Maryland.
Update: See additional information from Sid Gally in the comments.
30 comments:
This building has a long history, no doubt.
The Maryland was opened in 1903. It was expanded over the years and hosted many famous people including Presidents. On April 18, 1914, the main building burned to the ground. It was redesigned by Myron Hunt and rebuilt the same year. A large open area to the north was lined with "bungalows" and some people lived there all the time.
The apartment house on Euclid, added in 1929, is all that remains. Some of the hotel continued until 1948. The property was gradually sold off. The Broadway Pasadena replaced the main building.
So much fascinating history today, thank you, Petrea and Sid. I've driven past that pretty building countless times and never noticed it.
I'm with Bellis: thank you, P and Sid, for sharing the Maryland's fascinating history. I too have been by numerous times and never really noticed the building. I wonder what the apartments are like.
It's cool to read the NYT article. The Pasadena firemen were also heroes back in the day, just as they are now.
Sid, what would we do without you? Let me just put it this way: not everything is online, and I'm grateful for your excellent input.
I love your historic Pasadena posts. It's so nice to see a community in the US celebrating its heritage instead of paving it over.
burning an entire city block is more than possible. Think about the 1906 SF quake and all the damage done there--mostly by fire. Not a lot of power equipment in the early 1900's and certainly no power pumping stations. Also not a lot of high end technology to fight such a fire, let alone the regulations to prevent such a large fire.
Thanks for Sid's contribution--not something I knew about, except the Mall having gone into the space in 1980. A friend posted something from this a while ago: http://hometown-pasadena.com/history/ghosts-of-malls-past-the-plaza-pasadena/6263
Amazing how the landscape has changed.
Betsy found the architect:
https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/structures/5231/
Dive, Pasadena takes pride in its history. Many American communities do, but I don't suppose they're loud about it.
And back then, Trish, so much was made of wood.
What a lovely structure and especially fascinating history (both in itself and the facets that unfolded via your post/comments!)
That's a great story. Thanks, Petrea, for this glimpse into history.
This has been a fun one. Much thanks to Sid and to Betsy for the extra information. I love it when that happens.
How lovely to see a familiar sight after all these years. Didn't know the history so thanks for that too :).
The 1914 photo attached to the USC link is facinating. I can' imagine any part of southern California ever being so calm.
I don't know where I first heard of the history of the Maryland, but I've had this post brewing for a long time and still it wasn't complete. There's a lot to know.
Petrea,
At one time the Maryland Hotel covered the entire area from Colorado Blvd. to Walnut Avenue, with Los Robles as its eastern border and Euclid as its western border. Union Street wasn't put through until later, so it was a solid long block full of rental bungalows all the way north, including this one tower, so the Maryland Hotel was a huge property. Part of the Maryland Hotel garden wall still exists on Euclid, just north of the All Saint's building complex, and there is a ghost sign painted on it with "Hotel Maryland" in script, the remains of a light to illuminate the script, and the remains of a fountain on the inside of wall, just to the west of the All Saint's school playground. All this is open to the public to see and the wall, including the ghost sign and fountain, are a designated Pasadena City landmark. We have an old map of where all the old cottages were located, and many of them were moved to other locations in Pasadena after the hotel closed down, with some still existing at their new locations. Later, after the Broadway was built and Union was put through from Los Robles to Euclid, the area where the cottages were was made into a giant surface parking lot, with only the Odd Fellow's Lodge, Hutch's BBQ, a Standard gas station and the All Saint's Complex breaking up the huge parking area. The Plaza de las Fuentes project, Stage 1, was built on all those surface parking lots in the 1980's, with the Odd Fellow's Lodge being moved to El Molino just north of Union and the owner of Hutch's holding out for so much money that his house was left behind. More than you ever wanted to know...
Thal, I can never know enough! Thank you.
I know exactly the wall you're speaking of, and well get over and get a picture of it ASAP. I've never looked on the inside of it, so I didn't realize. I'd love to see the map to which you refer. Is it yours, or is it in the library? And I'd especially like to know where all those cottages went. Photo ops!
Good Morning-- Am an owner at the remaining part of the Hotel Maryland. Our building was designed by Architect Edward B Rust. Constructed and built at the same time as Pasadena City Hall. Completed in December 1926. Building Ceast to be a hotel in 1952.
We became Co-op "Own your own" Apartments at that time. We are in the process of becoming Condos-- This month the process looks to be complete-- 14 Apartments-- 2 aparments per floor. 6 floors plus a loft like unit on top originally a viewing deck that was cut into the roof. We are carefully maintaining and restoring our building-- It has been a joy.
It's wonderful to hear from you, Tom, thank you for posting your comment. And thank you as well for taking good care of an historic building!
I was quite pleased to find this page. It is the first acknowledgment I have found that The Maryland was in operation into the late 40's ... something I have known with certainty. My grandfather was the owner at the time the main building was torn down. He had one of the bungalows remodeled to serve as the office, and the clientele was almost exclusively full time residents. I have the safe from his office at the hotel in my garage (but there is nothing written on it to indicate that is where it came from). I remember it being in his office in the Auditorium Building in downtown LA when I was a little boy. I also have several ledger books from the hotel, that are clearly labelled as such ... but so far, I have only found time to give them a cursory glance. I hope some day to be able to put together the bits and pieces of information that I have, and learn more about the history of the hotel!
Hi Bob, nice to hear from you!
The safe you own, and the ledgers, sound like real treasures. You might take them over to the Pasadena Museum of History and see if you can get help from archives personnel to decipher them. Sid Gally (see above), one of our most knowledgeable historians, volunteers there. Thal Armathura, also very knowledgeable, is a little harder to find! But he has a great blog at http://avenuetotheskylakeavenuepasadena.blogspot.com/
I was just at the Central Library downtown and took a photo of a cover from a piece of sheet music about the Hotel Maryland. I would love to upload the photo here but don't know how to do it. It was the first I had ever heard about the hotel, and did a google search to find out more, which brought me to your wonderful blog.
Hi Unknown,
I'm glad Google brought you here. Fortunately or unfortunately, you can't upload a photo to a blog unless you have the password for it. But how nice that you thought of it! Did the library exhibit have anything else from the Hotel Maryland? I was just there yesterday and didn't stop to look.
The exhibit was not specific to the Hotel Maryland, but to music written about areas and things in and around Los Angeles. The photo I have is titled "Maryland Follies 1925." The other photo I took was of a piece of music entitled "At Home in Pasadena," also from that time period. The exhibit was on the main floor.
Thanks. I get to the library relatively often so I'll check it out.
@TomEarly We have recently moved to Pasadena and living at the Westin while looking for a place. Fell in love with The Maryland - do you have any units available for purchase or lease at the moment? Thanks Candy.
Candy, Tom may or may not be following this post. I think your best bet is to stop by and ask to see the building manager. Give it a shot! Let us know what happens.
Hi! I know this blog has moved (I still love it!), but on the off chance that anyone sees this, how can one get their hands on the map that shows where the Maryland Bungalows were moved? I've become completely enthralled with the thought that some of them could still be out there. Thank you!
Hi Jenny,
I hope someone knowledgeable sees your comment and advises you! For the moment, the first thing I think of is the Pasadena Tourism Bureau at 300 E. Green Street.
https://www.visitpasadena.com/visitors-guide/
A better bet might be Pasadena Heritage. Someone there will surely know where to look.
https://pasadenaheritage.org/
I'm glad you still like the blog! I hope it has proven to be useful to you.
Thank you Petrea!! I dug around in the mess of property info that is available online and it led me to believe that the city may have a historic building diagram of the Maryland Hotel Building relocations, so I will check with them as well. In my obsessive state, I also located some pictures of the lovely old Spaulding House and gardens that used to be on the other side of that existing garden wall. Unfortunately the photos have not yet been digitized. Good stuff, though!
Excellent! You spark me to think of the digital archive that's a joint project of the Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena Library, and the Huntington. They have great historical photos.
http://pasadenadigitalhistory.com/
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