Glen Tavern Inn

The hotel was built in 1911 when Santa Paula was growing and prospering as an oil town, and was headquarters to Union Oil. The Tudor-Craftsman hotel was designed by famed architects Burns and Hunt and funded by a consortium of twenty-five wealthy townsmen each of whom wanted one thousand dollars for its construction. It was erected directly opposite the train depot to provide accommodations to the many newcomers lured to the area by the burgeoning oil and citrus industries, and to provide a gathering place for Santa Paula's growing high society circles.

During Prohibition, the Inn retained something of its Wild West origins as the third floor - at that time, an open space not yet built out into separate guestrooms - was utilized as a speakeasy, brothel and gambling parlor.[2] Many legends stem from this era, including tales of murdered prostitutes and shootouts between unruly gamblers. These stories, though mostly unconfirmed, persist with a life of their own as part of the hotel's rich lore.

In the 1930s, Hollywood discovered the valley hamlet of Santa Paula.[3] Its ruggedly picturesque vistas and hills – improbably close to the sprawl of Los Angeles - provided a setting for numerous Westerns. During this era, the Glen Tavern Inn hosted such notables as Carole Lombard, John Wayne, Houdini and canine thespian, Rin Tin Tin, who boasted his own suite long before “pet-friendly” entered the hospitality lexicon.

Eventually, as oil money and old Hollywood moved on, Santa Paula traded fortune, glamour and vice for the quieter constancy of agriculture and small town life Americana. The Santa Susana Tunnel (opened in 1904) allowed for shorter routing, bypassing the town. The train depot became defunct, and likewise economic development bypassed the town. For the next half century the hotel endured a marginal existence, alternating owners and uses many times as it slowly sank into flophouse decrepitude until it was eventually rescued by developers with intentions of restoring its original grandeur.

During 2005 through 2007, the Glen Tavern Inn was extensively renovated by the Jennett Investment Group. Mid-renovation, in April 2006, the hotel sustained a fire. Fortunately, fire fighters were able to douse the blaze in time to save the landmark from major harm, and the burned portion was rebuilt.

It reopened as a full service hotel, restaurant and lounge in 2007. The renovation preserved the Inn's historical attributes alongside the addition of more modern amenities.[4]

On February 24, 2008, the Glen Tavern Inn was awarded Certificates of Special Recognition from the United States Senate, United States Congress and the California State Assembly for the successful restoration project.[5]

Keeping with the hotel's motto “Where the Past Comes to Life,” even the Inn is allegedly haunted.[6] In July 2007, the Ventura Paranormal Society held its annual convention there.[7] In 2013, the inn was featured on an episode of Ghost Adventures with special guests Brit Morgan and Mimi Page. In 2014, the inn was featured on an episode of The Dead Files.

• List of Registered Historic Places in Ventura County, California
• Ventura County Historic Landmarks & Points of Interest

• The Great Lifeboat Disaster of 1886 (by J. Allen Miller, new edition by Andrew Farthing. Published by Sefton Libraries, 2001: ISBN 1-874516-09-X)

• Official Glen Tavern Inn website