Redondo Hotel. Redondo Beach, California.

(LOS ANGELES)

Published by {The Hotel} [ca. 1895, [Los Angeles], 1895

About this Item

First edition. Small oblong octavo (7 1/8 x 4 1/2 inches). [18] pp. including 5 full page tinted lithographs of the hotel and its surrounding. Publisher's beige wrappers with gilt cover lettering. unstitched and a discreeet realtor's stamp on title, else a very clean copy of the rare item.As America approached the 20th Century, the town of Redondo Beach had just been incorporated and was determined to become a worldly destination. Located on the southern shores of the Santa Monica Bay, it had a large submarine canyon which allowed wooden cargo ships, with their deep hulls, to get close enough to the coast to offload their goods onto train cars waiting on one of the several wharfs along the beach.Los Angeles was booming and in need of a port to funnel goods into the local marketplaces. Rail lines connected Redondo Beach to downtown businesses [the final page is an ad for the short-lived Redondo Railway Company) and the return trains brought thousands of people to this coastal paradise. Thompson and Ainsworth decided a grandiose hotel was needed to accommodate the growing numbers of passenger ships and to further support their efforts of enticing tourists and commerce to visit Redondo Beach. The resulting hotel had 225 rooms in three stories, and was built in a High Victorian style. Construction cost approximately $500,000. At the time, it was one of the most important hotels in Southern California. It was demolished in 1925. It is likely this pamphlet was issued before the hotel opened. Had it been completed the views would have likely been half-tones. Seller Inventory # 75384

Bibliographic Details

Title: Redondo Hotel. Redondo Beach, California.

Publisher: {The Hotel} [ca. 1895, [Los Angeles]

Publication Date: 1895