472 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



entrance on Colorado street was the first bench-mark or datum plane estab- 

 lished by the city council, from which all official city grades or levels have 

 since been reckoned. And a number of notable events transpired within its 

 walls, which have given it a prominent place as one of our historic hotels. 

 [See cut, page 284.] 



After some weeks of talk about building a large business block, a 

 syndicate was formed composed of Gen. Edwin Ward, th^n of Long Beach ; 

 the Harper & Reynolds hardware company of Los Angeles ; Geo. A. Swart- 

 wout, A. Cruickshank and E. C. Webster of Pasadena. At a meeting in the 

 first week of February, t886, they adopted the name " Exchange Block " 

 for their new building ; and on February 17, 1886, its corner-stone was laid 

 by the architect, Harry Ridgway and assistants, enclosing a sealed casket of 

 local newspapers, photographs, and other historic documents of Pasadena 

 flavor ; and speeches were made by C. T. Hopkins and Abbot Kinney. On 

 June 2, 1886, the "Exchange Block Company" was incorporated. On 

 August 17, 1886, occurred the visit of the National G. A. R. excursionists 

 to Pasadena on their way back east from their National Encampment at 

 San Francisco. The Exchange Block was not finished ; but its large east 

 rooms on first floor were cleared of rubbish, decorated, and used for the 

 banquet reception to these war-record visitors. [See page 320.] 



In February, 1887, the city council meetings were being held in this 

 building and on the 19th of that month the famous prohibitory ordinance 

 was enacted here. Then in August, 1888, the lessees of the Carlton Hotel 

 were arrested for selling liquor there, contrary to the law, and the case had 

 some historic celebrity. [See page 264.] 



On December 19, 1888, the editors of South California assembled in 

 the parlors of this hotel and here formed their State editorial association. 

 [See page 322.] 



On January 28, 1889, occurred in this hotel the Astronomical banquet 

 [see page 326] which led to the placing of the Harvard photographing tele- 

 scope on Mount Wilson. 



The Painter Hotel — This was the third large hotel enterprise 

 undertaken here, being built in 1887 by John H. Painter and sons, and 

 opened to the public in February, 1888. It is the distinguishing landmark 

 of North Pasadena, being situated on northeast corner of Fair Oaks Avenue 

 and Washington street, 1200 feet above sea level. M. D. Painter and wife 

 have been the managers of the hotel ever since it opened for business. It 

 is a historic building, because of sundry other large enterprises incidentally 

 associated with it. The Painter Bros, opened Fair Oaks Avenue from 

 Chestnut to Illinois street [see page 356], and built the horse car line from 

 Colorado street clear up past the hotel to Mountain View cemetery. They 

 also built a steam dummy R. R. line from the hotel to Devil's Gate ; pro- 

 jected Arroyo Park ; built the first large covered reservoir; etc., etc. But 



