Five ledgers from an early Los Angeles hotel, the Hollenbeck Hotel, which was active from 1884 to 1932. The collection consists of three hotel ledgers for parts of the calendar year 1902 (April 19 to May 12; September 22 to October 19; and December 12 to December 31), a single ledger for the Hotel saloon from 1895 to 1896; and a single ledger for the Hotel restaurant from 1896. The Hollenbeck Hotel was established in 1884 by John E. Hollenbeck and his wife Elizabeth Hollenbeck. The hotel was centrally located in downtown Los Angeles at South Spring Street and West 2nd Street. Hotel guests included political figures, business figures -- including members of the Vanderbilt family, travelers stopping in Los Angeles, and attendees of large meetings--such as the Stanford Club--which the hotel hosted. The three hotel registers contain about 200 pages (including front and back) of signatures from thousands of visitors to the hotel during the year 1902. The Hotel Saloon registry is labeled "Bar Daily" and includes 200 pages of daily tallies of goods consumed, along with the price per bottle. Popular items listed in the Bar Daily include Humboldt Mineral Water, champagne, zinfandel, beers and ales, and Cutter whiskey. The Hotel restaurant ledger contains about 200 pages of pre-printed lists of foods with prices and amounts used. Expensive items include beef loin, potatoes, and coffee.

The Hollenbeck hotel was built by John E. Hollenbeck and his wife in 1884. Hollenbeck was born on Ohio in 1829. He was off to the California gold fields during the Gold Rush, but got delayed min Nicaragua, and ended up staying there with a hotel business, which is where he met his wife Elizabeth, a German widow who was also in the Hotel business. After surviving serious political conflicts, the Hollenbecks were back in the USA. They started buying land in Los Angeles in 1874 and moved there by 1876. By that time, they had acquired 27 properties comprised on 6,738 acres, including land in the business district, and large parcels just outside the business district, a gamble that was a sure-fire win. In 1884, the pair created the Hollenbeck Block, a major and central location in the main business district of Los Angeles.

1.58 Linear Feet 1 box

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