This photo was taken in 1875, making it one of the earliest I’ve ever posted. This is Pico House, which was considered LA’s first luxury hotel when it opened in 1870. Those people out front are probably guests of the hotel and those horse-drawn carriages are from Tally-Ho, and are about to take them for a day’s excursion to Echo Mountain which was a popular scenic look out north of Altadena, about 15 miles away. I can’t imagine there was much in the way of decent roads at the time, so I’m guessing it took all day to get there and back.
Pico House is no longer a hotel, but it’s still there and in excellent condition. This image is from June 2022.
WOW! So few things survived in LA, I am stunned to see something this old not only still there but in such beautiful shape. Thank you for sharing. I look forward to your posts every day.
Yes, Pico House is a rare LA conservation success story! And I’m glad to hear you enjoy my posts so much. Thank you!
What is inside Pico House?
I’m not really sure as it’s never been open whenever I’ve walked past. I suspect it’s a generic event space for exhibits, etc. Someone sent me a photo of a wedding that took place there, so maybe they rent it out of that sort of thing.
There are several buildings from roughly the same era in the Olvera Street area that are still standing and in decent shape, thankfully.
Built them strong back in the days, And built with Pride.