Glen Tavern Inn
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| Glen Tavern Hotel | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Santa Paula, California |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1911 |
| Architect: | Crookshank & Summers; Hunt & Burns |
| Architectural style(s): | Bungalow/craftsman, Tudor Revival |
| Added to NRHP: | July 26, 1984 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 84001225[1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
The Glen Tavern Inn is located at 134 North Mill Street in Santa Paula, California, is a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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[edit] History
The hotel’s colorful history spans several eras. In the early 1900s Santa Paula grew and prospered as an oil town and was headquarters to Union Oil. Designed by famed architects Burns and Hunt in the Craftsman “Swiss chalet” style, the Inn was erected in 1911 directly opposite the train depot to provide posh lodging to the many newcomers who came to Santa Paula mainly in connection with the oil business.
During Prohibition, the Inn continued to hold something of its Wild West spirit as the third floor was converted to a speakeasy, brothel and gambling parlor. Many legends stem from this era, including tales of murdered prostitutes and shootouts between unruly gamblers. These stories, though never confirmed, persist with a life of their own as part of the hotel’s rich lore.
In the 1930s, Hollywood discovered the valley hamlet of Santa Paula.[2] Its ruggedly picturesque vistas and hills – located improbably close to the Los Angeles metropolis - provided an irresistible setting for many a Western. During this time, the Glen Tavern Inn hosted such notables as Carol Lombard, John Wayne, Houdini and canine thespian, Rin Tin Tin, who boasted his own suite long before “pet-friendly” entered the hospitality lexicon.
As oil money and old Hollywood moved on, and perhaps even the last unlucky gambler took the last train out of town, Santa Paula traded fortune, glamour and vice for the quieter constancy of agriculture and small town life Americana. For the next half century the hotel endured a marginal existence, alternating owners and uses many times as it slowly sank into flop-house decrepitude until it was eventually rescued by developers with intentions of restoring its original grandeur.
[edit] Hotel today
Perhaps consistent with the hotel’s motto “Where the Past Comes to Life,” even the dead reportedly maintain a vivid presence at the Inn [America’s Most Haunted Inns, Robert Child]. The hotel is a favorite of paranormal aficionados who claim it is one of the most haunted venues in the region, and in July 2007, the Ventura Paranormal Society held its annual convention there [Ventura County Reporter 7/26/07]. Ghost anecdotes abound as believers in the uncanny report encounters with long expired guests who for unknown reasons prefer to extend their stays indefinitely.
In 2005-7, the Glen Tavern Inn was extensively renovated by the Jennett Investment Group, and reopened as a full service hotel, restaurant and saloon. It is frequently rented for private parties and events. The renovation preserved the Inn’s historical attributes alongside more modern amenities. It also revived its fabled glamour, and offers visitors a chance to relive the gilded days of excess and adventure at a place where spirited revelers and restless spirits seem to comingle quite amicably. Mid-renovation, in April 2006, the hotel sustained a fire. Fortunately, fire fighters were able to douse the blaze in time to save the landmark from major harm, and the burned portion was rebuilt.
On February 24, 2008, the Glen Tavern Inn was awarded Certificates of Special Recognition from the United States Senate, United States Congress and the California State Assembly for the successful restoration project. [Santa Paula Times, February 27, 2008]
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- The Great Lifeboat Disaster of 1886 (by J. Allen Miller, new edition by Andrew Farthing. Published by Sefton Libraries, 2001: ISBN 1-874516-09-X)
[edit] External links
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