HISTORY CORNER
The grand hotel of Aptos
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swings and various games were provided. The great novelty of the occasion was the ride on the new railroad at 50 cents for the round trip from Santa Cruz. The hotel was situated above the creek and surrounded by hills, covered with shady trees, on three sides which sheltered it from winds. The hotel was an imposing two-story structure of 50-by-150 feet, with a basement. The hotel provided 50 rooms with views of the bay, or the forest and creek. The furniture in the reception area was elegantly carved black walnut. The furniture and woodwork in the rooms and halls were laurel and oak. All areas were carpeted. The first floor contained the offices, reception rooms, and a parlor with two large, French, plate glass mirrors in carved and gilt black walnut frames (one of these
was the pavilion or clubhouse. Its dimensions were 75-by-115 feet and it housed two bowling alleys, a reading room, a billiard room, and two card rooms. During dances, the bowling alley was converted into a bar with all of the finest liquors. Additional buildings included a laundry, a three-story barn with 24 stalls and another two-story barn with 18 stalls. The barns provided excellent horses, buggies, rockaways and four-in-hands, with experienced drivers. A bathing house with 12 changing rooms was located at the beach with a surf boat for emergencies. In addition to hiking trails, there was a Deer Park for those who wished to hunt. A two-story private residence for Spreckels was located above the hotel site on today’s Bayview Court. When Spreckels built a larger house closer to the Coast Road, this residence became the caretaker’s house. An island was created between the hotel and the clubhouse by damming the chasm to make a small lagoon for breeding fancy stocks of fish. A footbridge spanned the lagoon and crossed to the island filled with a beautiful grove of trees. The island was christened Lovers Retreat, which is today’s Treasure Island Drive. The ➝ 21
photo courtesy of Aptos History Museum
MARCH 2020 | APTOS LIFE
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lause Spreckels of San Francisco was one of the richest men in America because of his imagination and his energy. He was a whirlwind. When he purchased most of the Aptos Rancho from Rafael Castro in 1872, he had big plans for Aptos. He wanted to develop the sugar beet industry here. He wanted to build a railroad. He wanted to raise racehorses and build a racetrack. He wanted a summer house here. He built a 170acre hunting preserve for his friends called the “Deer Park.” He extended the wharf for his shipping empire. But the thing that really put Aptos on the map was his grand hotel. Spreckels saw the tourism potential of the estuary and beach where Aptos Creek enters the Monterey Bay, so he made plans to build the finest summer resort in California. The Grand Opening Reception for the Aptos Hotel was held on May 22, 1875, concurrently with the formal opening of the Santa Cruz Narrow Gauge Rail Road from Santa Cruz to Aptos. The event included an Inauguration Banquet and Ball for Governor Pacheco. Rafael Castro was an honored guest. Music was furnished by a Santa Cruz quintet of violins and horns. Supper was served at midnight with three separate seatings. The revelers danced until 4:30 in the morning. Two weeks later, three trains from Santa Cruz brought over 1,000 people, plus another 500 by private conveyance, to the Dedication Picnic for the hotel. A capacious dance floor was erected, and music was supplied by a full quadrille band. Also,
John Hibble Aptos History Museum
mirrors still exists at Sand Rock Farm bed and breakfast). It also contained a grand piano, the main dining room, a children’s room, a large French range in the cook room and a dish room. The bakery, the wine room, meat and other storerooms, employee sleeping rooms and the employee dining room, were located in the basement. Joe Hickmein, formerly chief cook at Paso Robles Hot Springs, presided over the mammoth French range in the kitchen and Mr. Jerome Backus, formerly of the Lick House in San Francisco, was the steward in charge of the domestic affairs. The proprietor/lessee was Mr. H. F. Gasque. Modern amenities included gas lighting from a Union gas machine that furnished gas for 1,000 lights. Additionally, bathrooms and water closets were on each story at each end of the building. Outside the hotel building, there were five double cottages of four rooms each. Chinese reclining chairs were placed in cozy groups about the hill in front of the hotel. A lawn and flower gardens sloped away from the main building. Lamp posts were placed around the grounds for illumination at night. About 200 feet from the hotel, to the west, but in pleasant view,
A LOOK BACK Spreckels’ Aptos Hotel on Spreckels Drive 1878
