Return to Echo Mtn. Echoes, Winter 1999 Cover
Echo Mountain House
1894-1900
By Jake Brouwer
A lovely front view photograph of the Echo Mountain House 1894 |
I suppose we all subscribe to our own particular tastes in life, and as for me on this fine blustery evening in southern California, I managed to subscribe to the best that life has to offer. Nearly three months of scrimping and saving coins in an old cigar box, has led me to this finery on, February 4th 1900. A weekend of rest and relaxation in one of the finest resort hotels in the world, the Echo Mountain House, yes, that was certainly the ticket.
There was a wonderfully soft breeze, just a touch
of winter in the air, as I sat on the veranda of the grand hotel overlooking
Pasadena. I tilted back in my chair and tossed one leg over the other, up on the
railing, and taking a puff on my cigar, I thought of life in the world below. I
mused for hours, as it seemed a waste to go to bed, with this sparkling carpet
below me. The soft music coming from the nearby Chalet lulled me near to sleep,
when a gentleman with silver tipped cane tapped on my foot. I thought to myself,
"It might be the Professor himself." It was Mr. Sattley, the house
manager. "It's near midnight sir, and you're sure to catch your death of
cold if you stay out much longer." He did not wait for a reply, but walked
off down the length of the grand veranda.
"He's right." I thought, and headed off to bed on the third floor, not
realizing that this would be my last evening in the Echo Mountain House, room
paid for or not.
It was just six short years earlier that the grand hotel's shape began to take
place. Amidst the scatterings of boards and beams, and kegs of nails, the Scenic
Mount Lowe Railway continued its operations, and the tourists turned seemingly a
blind eye to the activities and went about having fun.
The original designs by T. W. Parkes were altered slightly, reducing the
finished form from two towers to one. The Carson Brothers, led by J. B. Carson
and his son Gene, did the construction on the hotel and by the end of March the
framing was raised on the first floor. Four months worth of laboring went by, in
a time when work was hard to find, fifty workmen were nearly finished with the
project. It was good timing as the Chalet was consistently running out of rooms.
August 1894, proved to be one of the busiest months on Echo Mountain. Activities
of every sort seemed to go on all at the same time. Ads in the Star constantly
promoted the Echo Mountain House while the construction was going on, however
that month the ads changed from a photo of the Chalet and the Great Incline, to
a line drawing of the new Echo Mountain House. Things were happening quickly,
and the excitement of it kept then manager H. L. Warner scurrying around tying
up loose ends. Warner's previous experience at the San Gabriel Hotel, and
Bartlet Springs gave him a high reputation as a popular, and successful caterer
to the tourist public, a welcome addition to Lowe's team.
In this early line drawing of Echo Mountain, we can see that the Lowe Observatory is in the early stages of building. |
On Saturday, August 4, 1894 a Builders Dinner was
held for the construction workers in the dining room of the Chalet. The dinner
started around 6:00 PM, and it was a dinner fit for the elite of Pasadena,
rather than the poor workingman. A specially lithographed menu was printed on
heavy pink cardboard, destined to be a souvenir for those so inclined. It was of
mutual respect that put such a dinner together. In a time of lockouts and
strikes, these men were working, and treated with respect by Lowe. He was the
"working mans friend."
Following Prime Ribs of Beef au Jus, Fricassee of Lamb, and a spread of desserts
consisting of cakes, puddings, and pies, Lowe rose from his chair and thanked
the men for a job well done promising a similar banquet upon completion of the
next phase of building on the Alpine Division. When he finished, sons Leon, and
Thad Jr., proudly looked on as J.B. Carson presented the Professor with a
gold-topped cane as a token of their esteem. A brass plate was engraved and
mounted on the cane that read, "BUILDERS OF THE ECHO MOUNTAIN HOUSE TO
PROF. T.S.C. LOWE AUG. 4, 1894. The professor was completely surprised, and
thanked them all for their generous gift. He expressed hope that as he grew
older this cane would sustain him for many years, while continuing his work on
the mountain. A round of, "For he's a jolly good fellow" followed, and
topped a wonderful evening.
In that first week of the month, doors, windows and sashes were being put into
place. The construction workers also started excavating for the grand granite
wall, and stairway, which would lead guests from the Great Incline platform up
to the hotel. The workmen also installed the mysterious cement pillars between
the Echo Mountain House and the Chalet. One guest asked The Professor what they
were for, to which Thaddeus, always at the ready replied, "To crack jokes
on!"
The grand stairway in Echo Mountain House |
During the rest of August, crowds continued to
flock to the mountain resort, beating the heat and enjoying the life above the
city. One of the conductors of the line, Mr. Haggin, said, "Score another
good day for the Mount Lowe Railway, they keep coming and coming. The
attractions are such that they cannot keep away. Best of all they go away
pleased. Their largest expectations are met and that is the grandest surprise of
all." Moonlight Excursions were also planned, with special flyers being
posted about town. Additional trains were run to accommodate the crowds. Along
with the crowds of tourists, furniture was an unusual but frequent traveler on
the Incline, making daily trips with the occasional accompaniment of lush
carpeting for the hotel.
The Echo Mountain House was not the only surprise that Thaddeus Lowe had planned
for the public that fall. Work was started on the Lowe Observatory that summer,
under the supervision of Lewis Swift, and by the fifteenth of August the dome of
the monstrous 16-inch telescope was being put into place and lectures of comets
and Nebula, soon would be the order of the day.
Another of The Professors surprises was being unpacked in early August. Fresh
from its last appearance at the Mid Winter Carnival in San Francisco, was what
was billed as the "World's Largest Searchlight." The 3 million
candlepower searchlight was mounted on a hexagon platform across from the hotel.
Not to be outdone in any way, shape, or form, Thaddeus also was preparing twelve
new cement cages for the zoological attraction, in addition to the work Lowe had
David MacPherson doing, grading the Alpine Division.
The time came to be that the rooms received all their finishing touches, and the
public gained entrance. August 17th came and went with a large contingent of
bankers spending part of the day on Echo Mountain marveling at the new hotel.
When all was said and done, $55,000.00 was spent to complete the Echo Mountain
House, and another $8,000.00 was spent in furnishings. The rooms were of the
best that mountain hotels offered in the world. Some were "en suite"
with private bathrooms and lavatories, boasting the finest in porcelain and
marble equipments. The rooms were electric lighted, gas heated, and carefully
ventilated. Fireplaces had specially constructed andirons for cheery fires. To
top it off, each of the rooms in the 400-foot southern exposure, had a
spectacular view of the valley floor below. There were seventy sleeping rooms,
and the cost for an evening ran $5.00, and $17.00 to $25.00 per week, depending
on the selection of the rooms. One could make reservations from nearly anywhere
by telegraph at the hotels expense. Mark Jayner from Western Union Telegraph,
approved the site in early August, and Edward Swift operated the telegraph.
In the grand velvet carpeted hallways, lobby, and dining room, were standpipes,
providing what was said to be the best fire protection in a building in Southern
California.
Guests gathered around a cheery fireplace. |
Great fireplaces and chimneys adorned the lobby
and dining room, with handsomely carved mantles and nearby staircases, becoming
artistic attractions as well as functional built-ins.
Other areas were devoted to recreation. There were billiard rooms, a bowling
alley, ladies drawing room, a barbershop and shoe shine stand, along with a
wonderful forty by eighty foot social hall, in which the fumes of a cigar were
never allowed to intrude.
In the splendid lobby, Anna Miller ran the photograph, curio, and souvenir
department known as the Echo Mountain House Bazaar. Here one could purchase,
postcards, cabinet photos, souvenir booklets, silver spoons, china, and many
other items to cherish as a memory of this grand place.
Richard Scott was the clerk, and Thaddeus Lowe Jr. was appointed Notary Public,
to afford the guest that convenience.
The spacious kitchen was designed to handle the largest order of meals, and was
backed up by a cement basement under the hotel, storing perishables, ice, solid
and liquid refreshments.
As the days blew by, the guest register filled, and names of those on
"Who's Who" lists of the nation filled its pages. One needed only to
look up to the mountains from the valley below, to know this palace in this
White City on the mount, was a place to behold and long to visit.
Half fare permit 1894 |
The first public use of the Social Hall was held
on Sept 3, 1894 by the Los Angles Congregational Union, led by Reverend A. B.
White. Members of the union were give half-fare permits for rides over the Mount
Lowe Railway.
November brought announcements by publicist George Wharton James, of the
official opening day ceremonies on November 24, 1894. It was a busy week. On the
23rd the Southern California Hotel Association put in a delightful afternoon on
Echo Mountain, after having lunch earlier in the day at the Painter Hotel. They
stayed and enjoyed all the entertainments of the Observatory, Zoo, and an early
evening glimpse of the searchlight before heading down to a banquet at the Green
Hotel.
Echo Mountain House Menu |
On the 24th Bankers and members of the Los
Angeles Clearing House held their banquet at the Echo Mountain House. An
elaborately designed menu was made for the event that drew one hundred thirty
attendees. The house was ablaze with a glitter of electric lights from top to
bottom. In the banquet room, the members of the nine represented banks were
greeted with beautifully garnished tables lined with roses, geraniums, and
chrysanthemums. Over the entrance to the dining room a group of Italian
musicians, the Musso Brothers, played the night away. All had a swell time.
The days went on, guests came, and were conquered by the spectacular views, and
the fine hospitality. With Lowe's new additions to Echo Mountain, there was no
shortage of things to do. Exploring Glen, Bear, and Echo Canyons, trying the
bridal roads, finding the waterfalls, visiting the animals in the zoo, or
watching that James character wrestling with the bear, Ursa Minor, were just
part of a days activities. The botany and geology of the place was unequaled,
and thoroughly investigated. Others took tours of the complicated machinery that
ran the Great Incline, watched the grading of the Alpine Division, or simply
enjoyed the view from the veranda. In the evenings, Ellen Norton would hold
concerts in piano and flute, giving her renditions of the classical masters, and
sometimes a chorus singing old-fashioned tunes accompanied her. On other
occasions, a Mr. Dodsworth, gave cornet solos, and often would amaze the guests
with echoed accompaniment from the back of the hotel. Let us not forget those
wonderful lectures in the observatory by Dr. Swift, or the magic lantern
lectures by George Wharton James. Just when you think the dusk is about to draw
to a close, the giant searchlight swings into play, beams dancing across the
expanses of the Los Angeles Basin.
Back view of Echo Mountain House. The Chalet is to the left and the Powerhouse is to the right of the hotel |
Nearly six years of bliss in the finest hotel you
could imagine. Unfortunately Thaddeus Lowe had long since lost control of most
of his empire by 1900. The costs of building the railway and hotels had taken
all he had. J. S. Torrance, who took the receivership of the properties in 1897,
was in the process of turning everything over to Valentine Peyton, and heirs of
H. M. Singer in the last week of January 1900. In parting, Torrance recommended
putting additional insurance on the hotel, as it was drastically underinsured.
So I slept, that night of February 4, 1900, like a baby, after a soothing
evening on the porch of the Echo Mountain House. I dreamt of waterfalls, photo
opportunities, and waited the dawn's new adventures.
What an adventure it was to be. Near the hour of 5:00 AM, a pounding awakened me
at my door. I did not remember signing up for an early morning bridal trip to
the summit of Mt. Lowe. But again on opening the door, I was face to face with
Sattley, the hotel Manager, only this time he was in his nightclothes. "It
seems we have a fire sir," he said with the hurried calmness of an ever
professional. "I expect we will extinguish the blaze, but I recommend you
gather your things to be on the safe side, and head on downstairs." Once
again he did not wait for an answer, and walked briskly to the next room down
the hall. The smell of smoke was in the air, and my eyes were stinging.
Once outside I learned that the kitchen staff had risen, as was the custom, at
around 4:30 that morning to prepare the fires for breakfast. The night watchman
became aware smoke billowing from the roof, and awoke Sattley, who immediately
started warning the thirty guests who lodged in the hotel that evening. Mrs.
Sattley, who also slept with her husband on the third floor, was pulled from her
room and rushed downstairs, leaving all her belongings behind her.
Outside I watched the smoke form a pyramid in the air above the Echo Mountain
House. The guests quickly made it out, and moved their belongings to an area
near the Chalet. Valentine Peyton, who was in the house that night with his wife
and children, organized the employees in an effort to save the building, and
it's contents.
One of the early standpipes of Echo Mountain House. |
The fire, which was caused by a defective flue,
had made itself a cozy nest between the floors of the hotel, rendering all hopes
of extinguishing the blaze with water from the standpipes entirely useless. The
water filled reservoir six hundred feet above the hotel, would be of no help. By
a quarter to six the fire was gaining possession of the building and all efforts
were directed to removing furniture, trunks, and carpeting. Myself, and other
guests pitched in with the effort, tossing the carpets across the roof of the
powerhouse and wetting them down in a successful effort to save that building.
There was a good deal of work to do, but not enough hands to do it. Phone and
telegraph wires were strung over the roof of the hotel, which the fire took out
very early, leaving communications with the hundreds of onlookers below in the
valley impossible. We were left to our own.
Sattley, who spent the entire time looking after others, finally dashed up to
his room on the third floor in an attempt to retrieve some of his personal
items, including $65.00 his wife had left in her haste to leave. The flames by
now were raging across the roof. Sattley had waited too long, and as he rummaged
around his room in the smoke and heat, he collapsed to the floor. He gave a
feeble cry for help as he went down. Thankfully, an employee, making a last run,
heard the cry, and pulled him downstairs. Sattley was the only injury of the
event with singed hair, and lungs from the furnace like air. All of the other
guests made it out safely.
Thanks to the lack of wind that morning, the fire burned remarkably slow enough
for most everything to be saved of any importance, except of course the hotel
itself. Most of the valuables of the guests were saved, except for those who in
their haste forgot wearing apparel. One woman reported the loss of her diamonds.
Sattley it seems was the biggest loser, having lost all his worldly possessions
in his room on the third floor.
By 7:00 the hotel lie in smoldering ruins. Some the guests were shuttled off to
Alpine Tavern, and others like myself, went to the Chalet to await the running
of the Incline cars. The line was not damaged in any way, but all hands were
much too busy at the moment. J. S. Torrance caught the first car into Rubio
Canyon that morning from the city, and spoke over a private wire to the
powerhouse in an effort to offer whatever assistance he could.
Early line drawing of Echo Mountain House |
Later in the morning, I watched as the men
explored the ruins of the fire. They found a few souvenirs, and after awhile in
the debris, the hotel safe, which held the books, and funds. Finally the cars
began to run again, and in the first arrival from below, the tourists came to
view the ruins on the way up to the Alpine Division. It was destined to be
business as usual, for all outward appearances to the public. I caught a ride
down later that day, along with Peyton, who was to meet with his associates, and
poor Mr. Sattley, who was still in his nightclothes, as all else was lost.
Peyton also had the duty of wiring Thaddeus Lowe the bad news. The Professor was
in San Francisco at the time visiting relatives.
In the days that followed, I read the papers after work and I found that plans
were already being made for building a bigger, and better Echo Mountain House to
be made out of granite from Mt. Lowe. The opinions were, it could be rebuilt for
one-third the original cost of building it in the boom times. Sadly the news
also came out that the Echo Mountain House was in fact underinsured. The London,
Liverpool and Globe Insurance Co., and the Insurance Co. of North America held
the policies for the house in the amount of a mere $7,000.00 for the building,
and $2,000.00 for the contents. The loss will fall entirely on Mr. Peyton and
Mr. Singer.
I worked, and saved hard for that trip up to Echo Mountain house that February,
in 1900, and to this day I remember it as if it were yesterday. On occasion I
pull from my bureau drawer, a folded white handkerchief, to gaze inside at the
souvenir match safe I bought the day before the fire, and fondly remember that
blustery evening on the veranda of the Echo Mountain House.
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Last modified: February 12, 1999
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reproduced in any form without written permission from:
Jake Brouwer
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Copyright © 1999