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The Popular Hotel Johnson— Gone But Not Forgotten
The Popular Hotel Johnson— Gone But Not Forgotten
Words and Photos Provided by Terry Ommen
Even though it has been gone for over half a century, Visalia’s Hotel Johnson is still remembered by many. And that’s not surprising! After all, the hotel known as the “Queen of the Valley” played an important part in the town’s history, while hosting many prominent visitors in its 51 year life.
In 1892, a Visalia newspaper polled residents about what they felt the town needed to prosper. One response frequently mentioned was the importance of a nice large hotel, one that was “first class, solidly built, and convenient.” The San Francisco Hotel Gazette picked up on the Visalia survey results and commented, “The Visalia Delta has been interviewing prominent Visalians as to the ‘crying wants’ of that town. One level headed interviewee put first on the list a first class hotel building. This is a sine qua non [Latin for absolutely essential] to municipal progress anywhere.”
But it took almost 25 years before action would be taken. Local businessman and civic leader, J. Sub Johnson, tore down his old Visalia House lodging building located on the northeast corner of Main and Church streets (where Bank of America is now) to make that dream a reality. He hired Trewitt and Shields, a Hanford contracting firm, to build a new hotel on the site, and construction began in 1916. The original plan was to build it of brick using reinforced steel, but World War I made “I” beams
difficult to get, so instead most of the building walls were made of concrete, a material that required less steel.
By the end of 1917, the Hotel Johnson was finished and on November 6th the doors to the opulent structure opened. The 5-story building was imposing with a footprint of 99’ by 116’. Built for a contract price of $110,000, the 125 room hostelry had a restaurant, meeting rooms, steam heat, hot and cold water, elevators, telephones and ice water facilities. It displayed more elegance “than the citizens had ever hoped for.”
For the next several decades it was considered one of the finest hotels in the San Joaquin Valley. It was popular and many famous and important people visited.
In 1919 Stephen T. Mather, Director of the National Park Service, made the hotel the last stop on his Sierra tour. The Hotel Johnson hosted a nice banquet for Mather, his entourage and local Visalia leaders. In 1924 the director returned again to the hotel with other national park dignitaries and enjoyed another banquet.
Also in 1919, Jack Williams, nationally known as the “Human Fly”, tried to highlight the hotel. He announced he was going to climb the outside of the Johnson Hotel blindfolded. It was a benefit event to raise money for the Armenian Relief Fund. He
promised a third of the money raised would go to help the Armenian people. His stunt got the community’s attention, but at the last minute, at the request of the hotel owner, he had to change the building to the Tulare County Courthouse. To the delight of the loud and enthusiastic crowd that watched, the “Fly” successfully made it to the top.
In February 1934, California Governor James “Sunny” Rolph came to the hotel to receive thanks from the locals for his work on the statewide water project. Visalia Mayor George Tschumy welcomed the governor and the 200 or so in attendance for the dinner and program. It was one of his last stops. Just four months later, the 64-year old governor died in office.
But the popular hotel was not always welcoming according to Mary Finch Hoyt, who was part of a prominent Visalia family. In her book East Wing—A Memoir, she recalled when Marian Anderson, a very well-known African American singer, came to Visalia. In 1937, she was invited by the local Civic Music Association to perform at the Visalia Union High School auditorium, but sadly Hoyt wrote, “The Johnson Hotel on Main Street, the only real hotel in town, will not give Miss Anderson a room.” She found quarters with a local family.
Other celebrities were welcomed with open arms. When the Walt Disney Co. came to Tulare County in 1946 for the filming of the movie So Dear to My Heart, Walt Disney himself and his top company production staff stayed at the Hotel Johnson.
Over the years many service clubs and fraternal organizations used the hotel for their weekly meeting luncheons, and locals enjoyed the restaurant for special family meals.
But without proper care and attention, even the most glamorous buildings begin to degrade. By the 1950s, the hotel was still attracting attention, but oftentimes for all the wrong reasons. Maintenance was regularly done, but by the 1960s, the nearly 50 year old structure needed major renovation. In 1963, the hotel closed. The next year it had been updated and again was open for business. But the grand old hotel was about to face another challenge—one from which it would not recover!
On May 3, 1968, it caught fire probably caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette. By the time the fire department arrived, smoke and flames were bellowing out of the windows and the fire department ordered it evacuated. Eventually the fire department had the blaze under control. But the damage was extensive and even though a large section of the hotel remained standing, the damage to the building was beyond repair. The remnants had to be razed and the lot was cleared. Tragically, lives were lost in the fire and so was the landmark building that had meant so much to the community.
For eight years, the large lot stood vacant, a constant reminder that again the community needed a suitable downtown hotel. A solution came on June 14, 1989, when ground was broken at Court and Willow for a large new hotel, and on November 4, 1990, the Radisson Hotel (now the Marriott) opened its doors.
