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In 1892, Professor C. F. Holder addressed Valley Hunt Club members announcing, “In New York, people are buried in snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let’s have a festival and tell the world about our paradise.”
In 1892, on Tournament of Roses Day guests gather on the veranda of The Raymond. They board rose-laden tallyhos to ride in the newly formed Tournament of Roses Parade.
The “First Story” floor plan of The Raymond shows the veranda extending the full-length of the building exterior’s front and sides. In 1887, the book “Marvels of Enterprise” describes the veranda as, “A veranda, fifteen feet wide, extends around nearly the whole structure, affording a continuous promenade of a quarter mile.”
The Raymond entrance is covered with hanging plants and landscaping infused with flowers in full bloom. The veranda here offers a shady retreat for guests to relax in lounge chairs or engage in light conversation around wicker tables and chairs.
The veranda facing the San Gabriel Valley is unobstructed for viewing of the surrounding pastoral lands and Sierra Madres (San Gabriel Mountains today). Notice the lone observation chair.
In the 1880s and 1890s, The Raymond veranda is a place for conversation about business trends and opportunities or a friendly argument over politics. Some prefer a restful snooze or an evening stroll as the mountains turn pink and fade to purple, or perhaps, to seize the moment for a tender kiss.
Throwback Thursday is written and produced by Rick Thomas
