Hotel Green - History

History

The Castle Green Apartments that stand on Raymond Avenue in historic old town Pasadena were built in 1887 and officially opened to the public in 1889, however this wasn't the first portion of the Green empire. The first portion of the hotel complex that sits on the southwest corner of Raymond Avenue and Green Street with its hand cut granite facing, bay windows and retail space, was known as the Webster Hotel. Mr. Webster became nearly bankrupt while trying to finish his lavish hotel in time for its opening. It opened its doors to the public in the 1880s and was only open a few months before he sold it to Mr. Green, who finished the construction and changed its name to the Hotel Green. Green soon felt the need for another building as an annex to house the hundreds of guests who came to the resort town of Pasadena. The second building could be built near the railroad depot and property was available. Soon construction was underway and the six-story complex was built of wood. Pasadena was one of the most famous resort communities in Southern California during these times and a place for those suffering from tuberculosis. Doctors advised patients to go to dry and warmer climates and Pasadena became a boom town for snowbirds, those who desired a warmer climate during the harsh winters back east. The second building stood on the southeast corner of Raymond Avenue and Green Street and was a huge success when it opened in the mid 1870s. Green soon saw the advantage of building a more permanent residence within his hotel empire and a third building was designed and underway in 1887 as apartments, where those who wished to could rent for a week or a year or longer. The building has distinctive exterior elements in the Mediterranean Revival style and several interior spaces in the Moorish Revival style. It was decided that a bridge could be built over Raymond Avenue to annex the Castle Green Apartments or the new Hotel by visitors or long renting guests with easier access between the two buildings. The Castle Green Apartments were built of concrete and rebar for sturdier construction.

Both had large ballrooms and dining rooms, a gentleman's smoking salon, a woman's salon, foyers, crystal chandeliers, a grand staircase in Cararra marble and the finest wrought and cast iron made for each of the buildings. Pasadena had 14 resort hotels by 1900, but the Hotel Green complex was one of the most famous and well patronized. Sitting across the street from Central Park with its rose gardens, fountains, paths, a zoo, lion and alligator and ostrich farms and a place for both locals and visitors to enjoy themselves. In the mid 1920s, the second hotel, built of wood, suffered a fire when a guest fell asleep with a lit cigar, catching the drapes and furniture on fire in the first floor smoking parlor. Evidence of the damage can still be seen on the square columns at the top where the plaster melted from the heat and the water from the firehoses. The building was heavily damaged and a few people died. The building sat derelict until the 1935 Long Beach Earthquake, which brought more of it down; it was decided to tear the wooden building down completely. The only original portion sits on the corner facing Green Street and is used as the Christmas tree room for the decorating store Stats, which has owned the building since the 1960s. A tunnel runs from the old wooden Hotel Green under Raymond Avenue and connects to the earliest portion of the hotel and the apartments.