Los Angeles herald., 1890-03-31
REDONDO BEACH.
WHAT A "ROAMING OAKLANDERn
THINKS OF THE PLACE.
A Graphic Description of the New Hotel
and Accounts of Other Improve
There.


on matters and things in and about Los
Angeles. 1t was a very sanguine view
of affairs here. Most of the letter was
devoted to Redondo Beach and what is
is going on there. This portion of the
communication follows, and says:
! Redondo Beach is situated near the
southeasterly horn OF the crescent
/ shaped Santa Monica bay. Here two
! ellow-townsmen, Captain Ainsworth
and Captain r. r. Thompson have in
vested a million dollars in the Redondo
Beach property. Already they have a
harbor with substantial wharves, run
ming out into water forty to sixty feet in
depth, at which the largest ocean
steamers can tie up. Rails are laid and
merchandise is lifted from the vessels
hold and swung into the freight cars
alongside.
The Redondo hotel, which will rival
the Del Monte and the Coronado, will
be thrown open to the public about the
middle of next month. located on the
sloping lawn hundred feet or more
| above the beach, this beautiful struc-
ture commands from almost every win
dow magnificent marine view as well
as landscape. To the south are the high
cliffs Of Point Vincent, and beyond
them, resting on the bosom of the broad
Pacific like a cloud, looms up the island
of Catalina.
Westerly across the crescent projects
that misty headland Point Duma, which
marks the westerly bounday of Santa
Monica bay.
Inland, as the eye sweeps from Point
Duma, rise the serrated hills of the
Santa Monica range, and still further
north come the sharply-cut outlines OF
the Sierra Madre range. Still easterly
cold Baldy" and "Cucamonga Peak
tower up with their SUBMITS silvered
with snow, while from the east mount
San Bernardino," backed up by "Gray-
back" marked the easterly boundary of
the great San Bernardino valley.
Unique Hotel.
The hotel is of unique design, with
many quaint corners and angles, that
make it extremely picturesque.
The ground plan reminds you of the
capitals F and Y put together, with an
o surmounting the F, thus:
o. A<
The o is the dining room, and al
though smaller than the celebrated
banqueting hall of the Coronado, that
seats its thousand guests, it is a much
handsomer apartment. In the top part
of the F is located the kitchen, provided
with every modern convenience, with
steamers and refrigerators and cool
rooms for the pastry cook, great ranges
for cooking meats, waffle ovens, boilers,
pastry ovens and conveniences innumer-
able. The middle of the + is the ball
room, with stage and balcony and a.
most intricate pattern of inlaid wood
floor. Where the middle cross bar Of
the intersects the main upright, are
located the lobby and various offices, !
which are finished in hard wood.
The mantel in the dining room is a
poem in carved Oak and the same maya
he said of the ladies' reception room.
The northerly and west walls of the din
ing room arc one continuous window of
the most wonderfully clear French plate
glass, overlooking the sparkling waves
and the Sierra Madre mountains beyond.
Light and cheerful corridors extend
north and south along the main stems OF
the + and Y and out to the extreme end
OF the branches OF the Y.
The dormitories are on either side and
all have lovely outlook-all are front"
rooms-not dark or black" room in
the building. The roof is broken into
pinnacles, towers and cupolas, and
"bay'' and Chow" and "oriel'' windows
project at many points, giving constant
and pleasing surprises to the eye. Some
of the rooms are perfectly lovely. A
sumptuously large apartment will have
an alcove breaking off from one corner,
while from another corner will open
f.ir lar ch IL,
plate glass sides, overlooking the sea and
forming charming spot for tete-a-tete,
or q smoke, or a book, or a reyerie. or
where a good wife would delight even in
sewing on a husbands shirt buttons.
In the court, between the cross bar
and the top of the +, is located large
brick building called the ''power house"
In it are two enormous upright Hazel
ton boilers-the kind that are shaped
beer bottle, you know. They have
capacity OF 100 horse power each, and
are to run the various machinery of this
great establishment-the steam pump,
the elevators, the dynamos, OF which
there are two, are for running the one
thousand incandescent lights all through
the house and the twelve immense arc
lights lhat are toilluminate the grounds. :
Water, hot and cold is carried to every
room. There are cheerful fre-places in
all the rooms. They will seldom be
needed, however, as the temperature is
about the same the year round-never
hot, never cold.
The baths, closets and appointments
are all that modern skill can afford.
There will be most charming billiard
room, with cozy 'sideboard," and bill
lard rooms for the ladies will also be
provided. The hotel is now being fur
nished with most elegant and tasty car
pets and furniture, and no expense is
being spared to make it an elegant and
comfortable home.
The grounds are being laid out by the
artistic gardener who designed the Del
Monte grounds, and the plans alone cost
500. A magnificent fight of broad steps
lead in terraces down the hill side to the
beach, where are located the most ele-
CANT and costly bathing houses on the
coast, with dressing rooms and facilities
for hot and cold salt water tub baths.
Railroad Facilities.
The Santa Fe railroad has q branch
running from Los Angeles to Redondo,
which makes three or four trips each
way daily, and the Redondo Beach Com
pany also has its own line of railroad to
I A ,at, I,a !