Demolition

The Raymond Hotel #1 was gutted in a blaze of 04/14/1895, Easter Sunday. Initially, Raymond wanted to rebuild his hotel, but he couldn't raise the necessary funds locallly. The Los Angeles Herald reported in 06/1895: "Although the workmen are still engaged in clearing away the debris from the Raymond hotel site and the plans for a new structure are complete, with the estimates all made and everything apparently in readiness for the rebuilding of the great hostelry, the most important feature of the matter has not materialized yet. The failure of the financial help of Pasadena citizens has apparently discouraged Mr. Raymond and he has given out the information that the Raymond will not be rebuilt. There are many who refuse to believe, however, that the project has fallen though more than temporarily, thinking it is only a question of a short time until the funds can be raised elsewhere if not in Pasadena. Citizens of Pasadena cannot afford to let this matter drop, for the Raymond has been of the greatest benefit to this city and if rebuilt will undoubtedly continue to help Pasadena greatly." (See "Raymond Not to Rebuild," Los Angeles Herald, vol 44, no. 53, 06/03/1895, p. 3.) After a few years, however, Raymond did manage to raise $300,000 from Richard T. Crane of the Chicago-based Crane Plumbing Company, who liked to vacation in Pasadena during the winters. (Crane founded his company in Chicago in 1855.) Many wealthy residents of Illinois wintered in Pasadena during the late nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

PCAD id: 22557