California Hotel (Oakland, California)

USA / California / Emeryville / Oakland, California / San Pablo Avenue, 3501
 NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, apartment building, Mission Revival (architecture)
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The California Hotel was built in 1929 and operated as a commercial hotel. It was one of the few hotels where blacks could stay and black musicians could express their art. For nearly three decades, beginning in 1936, many blacks relied on “The Negro Motorist Green Book: An International Travel Guide” to help them decide where they could travel during an era of racial division. The hotel’s ballroom was also famous for the celebrities who played there. From the ‘20s through 1971, the site boosted a “who’s who” reputation, drawing jazz and blues greats who ranged from Fats Domino to Ike & Tina Turner as well as fans who came to listen and dance.

The site was added to the National Register of Hispanic Places in 1988 as # 1988000969
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Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Hotel
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Coordinates:   37°49'33"N   122°16'43"W

Comments

  • Currently under renovation as of 2012: http://blog.sfgate.com/inoakland/2012/07/26/oakland-celebrates-groundbreaking-for-renovation-of-historic-california-hotel/
This article was last modified 9 years ago