Lea Lea Room, Mission Inn, Riverside, CA (bar) - Locating Tiki

D Dustycajun Tiki Socialite Santa Barbara, CA Joined: Nov 16, 2007 Posts: 5295	D Dustycajun Posted posted on Sun, May 13, 2012 12:24 PM Here you go, Bigbro. Looks like some Chinese artifacts in the back. Also found this little historical sound-bite on the Lea Lea Room. Frank Miller died in 1935. Lost with Mr. Miller’s passing were his creativity, drive, promotional abilities, and vision. Allis and DeWitt Hutchings took over the running of the hotel, but they faced formidable changes in the travel industry. The dramatic rise in use of the automobile, along with new resort destinations and activities, made the Mission Inn seem outdated and out of fashion. Business at the Mission Inn began to slip. People no longer stayed at the hotel for extended periods; Palm Springs and other locations had replaced Riverside as a popular destination. The couple struggled to keep the hotel open and tried to attract new guests by adding modern amenities. The South Seas-inspired Lea Lea room, decorated with large tikis, bamboo, and palm fronds, opened in 1939 (Klotz, 1982). It became a favorite place for dancing, especially for the airmen and soldiers stationed at March Field and Camp Hahn. The story says there were large Tikis! Maybe the book cited has more pics? DC

Here you go, Bigbro.

Looks like some Chinese artifacts in the back.

Also found this little historical sound-bite on the Lea Lea Room.

Frank Miller died in 1935. Lost with Mr. Miller’s passing were his creativity, drive, promotional abilities, and vision. Allis and DeWitt Hutchings took over the running of the hotel, but they faced formidable changes in the travel industry. The dramatic rise in use of the automobile, along with new resort destinations and activities, made the Mission Inn seem outdated and out of fashion. Business at the Mission Inn began to slip. People no longer stayed at the hotel for extended periods; Palm Springs and other locations had replaced Riverside as a popular destination. The couple struggled to keep the hotel open and tried to attract new guests by adding modern amenities. The South Seas-inspired Lea Lea room, decorated with large tikis, bamboo, and palm fronds, opened in 1939 (Klotz, 1982). It became a favorite place for dancing, especially for the airmen and soldiers stationed at March Field and Camp Hahn.

The story says there were large Tikis! Maybe the book cited has more pics?

Post #636282 by Dustycajun on Sun, May 13, 2012 12:24 PM