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Overview

This four-story hotel lay near La Jolla's rocky coast on Prospect Street. Manager George A. Bane, previously a hardware merchant in Ottumwa, IA, opened this new facility in 1928, superceding a wooden hotel erected in 1913. Bane and his wife, Flora E. McCormick (1868-1950), lived at the hotel during the 1910s-1930s.

Building History

Two partners in a La Jolla real estate business, the Harlan-Bane Realty Company, Chicago-transplant Bert Browne Harlan, (born c. 04/1869 in IA), and George A. Bane, (born 10/1866 in OH- d. 1935 in San Bernardino County, CA), established the Colonial Hotel, opening a wood-frame building (designed by well-known San Diego architect Richard Requa [1881-1941]) at this location on 02/01/1913. This wooden building operated as the hotel for more than ten years. During that time, Bane became the sole proprietor in 1920, and by 1925 developed an ambitious new plan to expand and improve the hotel. He commissioned San Diego Frank Stevenson to design a new, four-story building, and move the old hotel to another location at the property's rear.

A significant earthquake struck Santa Barbara, CA, on 06/29/1925, that damaged many buildings there, including the landmark Arlington Hotel #2. In the wake of this event, and to guard against the ever-present danger of fires in hotels, Bane elected that the building would be of reinforced concrete construction and have an early fire-sprinkler system installed. The hotel's web site stated of Bane's new construction plan: "It was a huge undertaking. The existing building was moved to the rear of the property and a new, four-story, concrete, mixed-use building was erected in its place. Completed in 1928 and boasting 28 apartments and 25 single hotel rooms, the new Colonial Hotel had the first sprinkler system west of the Mississippi; solid, unsupported, reinforced cement stairways and fire doors that still exist in the structure." (See Grande Colonial Hotel.com, "Our History," accessed 04/18/2018.) Like many apartment hotels of the day, visitors at the Colonial could arrange for short and long-term stays.

Bane leased his new property to another manager, W. S. Beard, just after it opened, but the founder was not satisfied with his management, and decided to remove him and install another person, R.C. Bugler, to run the hotel in 1931. Apparently, this arrangement proved acceptable and durable as the hotel weathered the Depression when many others did not.

During World War II, the military took over the hotel, with officers working at Camp Callan occupying the facility. Additionally some enlisted personnel were billeted in the hotel sunroom, as well.

By 1976, the hotel had fallen into some disrepair when three investors bought it and set about restoring it. They spent $3 million on the work, renaming the hotel the "Colonial Inn." They maintained the property until 1988, when the Japanese investment company, Tokyo Masuiwaya California, bought it for $13.85 million. This acquisition occurred during the 1980s when many Japanese investors were spending large sums to acquire real estate all across California. They held the property until 07/1998, when two investment groups, Franklin Croft LLC and Fargo Hotel investors LLC, purchased it, and began their own restoration that occurred between 12/1999 and 07/2001.

Building Notes

For several years, the La Jolla Drugstore operated next door to the Colonial Hotel. In 1926, a Kansas transplant, Silas O. Putnam, bought the pharmacy, and arranged with Bane to lease a storefront in the Colonial Hotel next door. This drugstore became a favorite local meeting place, particularly after Putnam opened an ice cream concession at its front. According to the Colonial's web site, the La Jolla Drugstore's pharmacist was the father of actor Gregory Peck. (See Grande Colonial Hotel.com, "Our History," accessed 04/18/2018.) The drugstore operated within the Colonial Hotel until the 1960s.

Alteration

As noted above, full-scale restorations have happened at the Colonial Hotel in 1976 and 1999-2001. In 2007, ownership embarked on another renovation campaign, described by the hotel's web site: "In 2007, the hotel took another stride forward as it unveiled the completion of an $8 million restoration project. Included was the renovation of the hotel’s existing 75 guest rooms, suites and corridors in the main building, as well as replacement of the original single-pane, wood-framed windows with double-pane, screen-less, tempered glass windows significantly improving the energy efficiency and sound insulation. The project also included the preservation of two adjacent historic landmarks, the Little Hotel by the Sea (from 1924) and the Garden Terraces (from 1926), adding 18 new suites to the hotel’s inventory (all with kitchens or kitchenettes and many with fireplaces). The eight-suite Little Hotel by the Sea and the ten-suite Garden Terraces, originally built as hotels, had operated as residential apartment complexes for the past 30 years and, under the guidance from the San Diego Historical society, had now been restored to their original glory for the community to enjoy for years to come. To recognize their historical significance in the development of La Jolla, both properties were designated as historic sites in 1984 and 1990 respectively." (See Grande Colonial Hotel.com, "Our History," accessed 04/18/2018.)

PCAD id: 21946