The towering Glendale Hotel, launched with great fanfare in 1887,
closed soon after it opened its doors. The building languished for
several years, operating as an Episcopal girls' school and later as
Glendale's first high school.
The property finally sold in 1905 and eventually, the hotel and
five acres ended up in the hands of entrepreneur L.C. Brand for
$10,000.
When he heard that the Seventh Day Adventist Church was interested
in purchasing the property, Brand quoted them a price of $20,000.
Later, according to E. Caswell Perry and Carrol W. Parcher, writing
in "Glendale Area History," he dropped the price to $12,000, "due to
the philanthropic nature of the venture.''
A more detailed account of the transaction can be found in a 1965
News-Press account written by George S. Goshorn. He relates that John
Burden, an elder in the Adventist church, had been assigned to look
for a place to open a sanitarium. After inspecting 30 properties, he
narrowed his choices down to the Glendale Hotel and a hotel in San
Gabriel.
Each was priced at $20,000, much more than his financial limit.
After mulling over the problem, he decided to lay it before Brand,
hoping that he would reduce the price to $15,000. Telling Brand about
the church's mission, and adding that the money would come from its
members, he asked him to reduce the price. Brand replied, according
to Goshorn, "How does $12,000 sound?"
Even so, Burden's job wasn't over. The local conference committee
lacked the $1,000 down payment. Now that he had put so much of his
own time into the project, Burden was unwilling to give up. He and
another elder decided to advance the down payment out of their own
pockets, but a timely letter from Mrs. Ellen G. White, pioneer leader
of the church, reminded leaders that a sanitarium was needed near
Los Angeles.
Encouraged by this message, the delegates pledged the needed
funds. Work started immediately, with volunteers sweeping out the
debris of the previous occupants, painting walls and washing floors.
Two bedrooms on the second floor became an operating room and
white-painted crates served as storage units. The kitchen stove was
cleaned in preparation for heating water to sterilize instruments.
The sanitarium opened in August 1905 with 75 beds, serving a
population of 1,186 Glendale residents, although few of these beds
were used by locals. According to a hospital press release, "Glendale
residents didn't get sick because of the healthful hometown climate."
* KATHERINE YAMADA is a volunteer with the Special Collections
Room at Central Library. To reach her, leave a message at 637-3241.
The Special Collections Room is open from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays
or by appointment. For more information on Glendale's history,
contact the reference desk at the Central Library at 548-2027.
