The Langham Huntington, Pasadena is a resort hotel located in Pasadena,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, that dates back to the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...

Original building (1907-1989)

The original hotel on the site was built by General Marshall C. Wentworth, a US Civil War veteran,MacDonald Harris, "Vintage California Hotels", ''The New York Times'', April 13, 1986
/ref> and designed by

Charles Frederick Whittlesey Charles Frederick Whittlesey (1867–1941) was an American architect best known for his work in the American southwest, and for pioneering work in reinforced concrete in California. Life Born in Alton, Illinois, Whittlesey was a draftsman ...

in the Spanish Mission Revival-style. It opened in February 1907 as the Hotel Wentworth, but the structure was only partially complete, with the first four stories finished and a temporary roof. The hotel's completion had been delayed due to a shortage of construction crews caused by rebuilding in San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake. The

Pacific Electric The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned Public transport, mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electr ...

had already constructed their Wentworth Line interurban railroad to serve the hotel in 1906. Heavy rains in 1907 kept away prospective guests, and the Wentworth closed in July 1907 after its first season.Description of a Huntington Hotel Company specimen certificate
/ref> The Wentworth was purchased by railroad tycoon

Henry E. Huntington Henry Edwards Huntington (February 27, 1850 – May 23, 1927) was an American railroad magnate and collector of art and rare books. Huntington settled in Los Angeles, where he owned the Pacific Electric Railway as well as substantial real estate ...

in 1911 and reopened in 1914 as The Huntington Hotel after a major redesign by the architect

Myron Hunt Myron Hubbard Hunt (February 27, 1868 – May 26, 1952) was an American architect whose numerous projects include many noted landmarks in Southern California and Evanston, Illinois. Hunt was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Archi ...

which added the hotel's upper two floors and its iconic central

belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco * Belvedere, Harare, Z ...

tower. It remained under Huntington's management until 1918. The hotel eventually comprised over 20 acres. Between 1920 and 1926, 27 bungalow cottages were built on the grounds to accommodate long-term guests.''The Los Angeles Times'' "Panes of the Past: Huntington Hotel Renovators Find Plastered-Over Stained Glasswork" By Vicki Torres, October 7, 1989.
/ref> California's first outdoor

Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cour ...

was added in 1926, when the hotel, formerly a winter resort, began operating year-round. The hotel was later owned by Stephen W. Royce, who sold it to the

Sheraton Corporation Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an international semi-luxury hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, Cen ...

in 1954. It was subsequently renamed the Huntington-Sheraton Hotel. As a Sheraton, much of the hotel's interior period detailing was covered over, and the Lanai Building was constructed next to the swimming pool in 1967. Sheraton sold the hotel to Keikyu U.S.A., Inc. in 1974, but continued to manage the property. In the wake of the disastrous

1985 Mexico City earthquake The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximal Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The event caused serious damage to the Greater Mexico City area ...

, seismic tests conducted on the hotel showed the main building to be unsafe. As a result, the hotel's main wing had to be closed without notice on October 20, 1985, causing a chaotic scramble to relocate hundreds of social events booked at the hotel over the coming months. The 89 rooms in the 1967 Lanai wing and the 18 cottage homes remained in operation as the Huntington Sheraton Lanai and Cottages, while the six-story main building sat vacant. Huntington Hotel Associates (HHA) announced plans in 1986 to demolish the main wing of the hotel and replace it with a replica. After a year of debate and numerous pleas from preservationists, Pasadena voters chose on May 19, 1987, to give zoning approval to the demolition of the main building. HHA bought the hotel from Keikyu in December 1987. Sheraton ceased operating the hotel in January 1988, and it was renamed The Huntington Hotel & Cottages. The contents of the main building were sold to the public in June and July 1988 and demolition of the main building began on March 27, 1989, lasting three months. The lanai and cottages closed in mid-1990 as construction of the new main building progressed. During the demolition and reconstruction of the main wing, the two historic ballrooms, the Viennese Ballroom (originally the hotel's dining room) and the Georgian Ballroom (originally the hotel's theater) were retained and incorporated into the new hotel, in addition to the other outbuildings such as the pool, lanai and bungalows, which were not required to be demolished. The $100-million reconstruction project revealed 10

stained-glass windows Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

made of opalescent glass in the Georgian Ballroom, which had been covered over by the Sheraton Corporation in 1954 when the space was converted into a dining room.

Reconstructed building (1991-Present)

The hotel reopened on March 18, 1991 with 383-rooms as The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel.''The New York Times'': "For Beverly Hills, a New Peninsula Hotel With Villas", March 24, 1991
/ref> The new building largely replicated the exterior of the original, but offered modern facilities. It was renamed The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa in April 1998. In October 2007, the hotel was sold to Great Eagle Holdings for $170 million and renamed The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, on January 8, 2008, managed by

Langham Hotels International Langham Hotels International Limited, trading as Langham Hospitality Group, is a hotel operator with its headquarters in Hong Kong. The oldest hotel in its portfolio, The Langham, London, originally opened in 1865 as Europe's first 'Grand Hotel ...

In popular culture

* The hotel is featured as The Huntington Sheraton in the 1956 home movie ''

Disneyland Dream ''Disneyland Dream'' (1956) is a home movie made by Robbins and Meg Barstow that documents their family's free trip to the newly opened Disneyland. The one-week trip was a prize they won in a contest sponsored by Scotch tape. The movie was shot w ...

''. * Multiple areas of the hotel are featured in the 1982 pilot episode of the TV series ''

Remington Steele ''Remington Steele'' is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from O ...

''. * The hotel appears in a 1982 second season episode of ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...

'', ''The Club Murder Vacation''. * The hotel appears in a 1984 first season episode of ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order to help people in need. Vi ...

'', ''Hotel of Dreams''. * The hotel appears in the 1985 film ''

Girls Just Want to Have Fun "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a song written, recorded and performed by American musician Robert Hazard, who released it as a single in 1979. It is best known for the version of American singer Cyndi Lauper, who covered the song in 1983. It ...

'' * The hotel appears in the 1985 television film ''Promises to Keep''. * The hotel appears in a 1986 seventh season episode of ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives ...

'', ''Phoenix Rising''. * The shuttered hotel is featured in a 1986 third season episode of '' Scarecrow & Mrs. King'', ''The Triumvirate''. * The shuttered hotel appears again in a 1987 fourth season episode of '' Scarecrow & Mrs. King'', ''One Flew East''. * This hotel is featured in the 1998 Disney movie '' The Parent Trap'' as the Stafford Hotel. * This hotel is featured in the 1998 movie "Richie Rich A Christmas Wish" The exterior scenes of the sprawling Rich Family Mansion * The 2007 film '' Charlie Wilson's War'' was filmed in the Georgian Ballroom. * The 2012 film ''

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta!'' is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Lev L. Spiro. It is the third and final installment of the ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua (film series), Beverly Hills Chihuahua'' series, and stars George Lope ...

'' was also filmed throughout the hotel as well. * The Langham Huntington was the site for the much-publicized 2012 wedding of '' The Bachelorettes Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum.http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorette/ashley-and-jp-wedding * The hotel's bar, The Tap Room, was used to double as The Beverly Hills Hotel in the 2013 Disney film, '' Saving Mr. Banks''. *The exterior and the front lawn represent the hotel in ''The Raj'' park of

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

as seen in Virtù e Fortuna (S2 Ep3).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langham Huntington, The Hotels in Los Angeles County, California Buildings and structures in Pasadena, California Myron Hunt buildings History of Pasadena, California Hotels established in 1907 Hotels established in 1914 Hotels established in 1991 Hotel buildings completed in 1907 Hotel buildings completed in 1914 Hotel buildings completed in 1991 San Rafael Hills Tourist attractions in Pasadena, California 1907 establishments in California Sheraton hotels