Avalon Hotels

Los Angeles Herald, July 6, 1891
advertising Santa Catalina Island hotels:
Avalon House, Catalina House and Spence's Villa

Santa Catalina Hotel Boom c. 1892.
Metropole Hotel, far right; Wheelers' Avalon Home, left of the pier.

Avalon waterfront, post 1903.
Hotel Sea Beach, Hunts Curio Shop.
Boat stands include Julian, Cleopatra and Lady Lou, T. Washburn.

AVALON, SANTA CATALINA ISLAND HOTELS had been developed by the turn of the century, an outgrowth of tent camps and organized tent businesses such as Camp Swanfledt and Coronado Tent City. Some of the earliest hotels in order of construction included:

• Avalon Home
• Metropole (1888-1915)
• Spence's Villa (c. 1891)
• Glenmore (1891-current, as the Glenmore Plaza Hotel)
• Catalina Hotel (1892-1915; 1916-current)
• Grand View Hotel, Avalon, Santa Catalina Island (1892-1915+)
• Miramar (1892-1915)
• Sunset Hotel (1892)
• Glidden Flats, Santa Catalina Island (after 1893)
• Island Villa, Santa Catalina Island (1895)
• Stamford House (c. 1895)
• Bay View Hotel (c. 1898-1915)
• Avalon Inn (1899-current)
• Hotel Central (1903-1915)
• Pacific (pre-1903-1915)
• Hermosa Hotel (pre-1905-current)
• Del Mar (c. 1907-1915)

Additional places to stay (unknown construction dates, pre-1915 fire):

• Sea Beach (S.C.I.Co.)
• Hotel Del Mar (H. D. McRae, prop.)
• Hotel Windsor, Avalon, Santa Catalina Island (L. M. West, prop.)
• The Columbia ((M. M. Earrhart, prop.)
• Campus Virginia (J. H. Lane, Prop.) Tents, cottages, bungalows.
• Morris Camp (C. Morris, prop.) Tents, cottages with or without housekeeping.
• Camp Albert. Tents and cottages furnished for housekeeping.
• Coronado Flats (Mrs. L. Casey, Prop.) Furnished rooms.
• Glidden Flats (Seth Glidden, Prop.) Furnished rooms for housekeeping.
• Judd Furnished Rooms. Tents and cottages. On stage road near ocean.
• McLean Lodge (J. D. McLean, Prop.)
• Moll's Flats and Cottages (F. J. Moll, Sr., Prop.) Furnished.
• Nestell Group. Cottages, apartments, tents, furnished for housekeeping.
• Virginia Cottage (Mrs. Gray, Prop.) Suites and tents furnished for housekeeping.
• Mrs. Campbell. Cottages, Ocean View. 224 Whitley.

Many of the early hotels were destroyed by the Avalon fire of 1915.

» Avalon Inn; Bay View; Catalina House; Dew Drop Inn; Eddy’s Terrace; Glenmore; Grand View Hotel; Island Villa; Marilla Cottage; Metropole; Sea Beach Hotel

AVALON, CATALINA ISLAND IN 1907

• Hotel Atwater (Santa Catalina Island Company) (1920-+)
• Metropole (1888-1915) built by George Shatto » Metropole
• Hotel Rose
• Saint Catherine Hotel, Avalon, Santa Catalina Island (1918-1966)
• Island Villa, Santa Catalina Island (1895-
• Las Casitas Bungalows
• Pavilion Lodge, Santa Catalina Island (1957- )

AVALON HOTELS 1916:

• Avalon Inn. 309 Beacon St. Developed from Avalon Cottage. Inn est. 1899-current.
• Bay View. 124 Whittley Ave. c. 1898-1915 fire.
• Catalina. 129 Whittley Ave. 1892-1915 fire; 1916-current First hotel rebuilt after the fire.
• Central. 1903-1915 fire.
• Del Mar. c. 1907-1915 fire.
• Glenmore. 118 Sumner Ave. 1891-escaped 1915 fire—YES; owner E. J. Whitney in 1917
• Glidden [Glidden Flats] after 1893-
• Grand View Hotel, Avalon, Santa Catalina Island 1892-1915 fire. -escaped 1915 fire
• Hermosa. Pre-1905-current.
• Miramar. 1892-1915 fire.
• Pacific. Pre-1903 and destroyed by fire 1915.
• Stamford House. 125 Metropole. c. 1895-? Gone now.
• Sunset Hotel 708 Crescent Ave. 1892; next the Catherine Hotel; now the Trailhead

LATER AVALON HOTELS:

• Cloud 7 Hotel, 137 Marilla Ave.
• Tropics Hotel

In the News~

July 11, 1916 [TI/Avalon]: “The new Catalina Hotel was opened for public inspection several days ago. A large number took advantage of the opportunity to view the interior of the first hotel to be erected since the fire. Proprietor Gill has been a resident of the island for 16 years, and he is to be congratulated on the rapidity of the work as well as for the excellent modern hotel that he has built…”