Calendar Annual Meeting February 21 at Forest Hill Manor Volume 10, Issue 1 January 2010 The Heritage Society of Pacific Grove Dedicated to Maintaining the Beauty and Individuality of Pacific Grove NEWSLETTER The Heritage Society Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room at Forest Hill Manor, located at the corner of Forest and Gibson Avenues in Pacific Grove. Retiredcollegeprofessor JoeBragdonwillshowslidesand giveatalk, “Cannery Row When It Was,” about the days of the sardineindustryontherowand his acquaintance with Ed “Doc” Ricketts and other actual char- acters from John Steinbeck’s books. Refreshments will be served. Board members will be introduced and new officers for 2010 will be elected, so please plan to attend this important and interesting meeting. The Forest Hill Manor building was erected in 1926 by Samuel Parsons. When the El Carmelo/Pacific Grove Hotel was dismantled in 1918, the town was left with only small inns and rooming houses to house visitors. Mr. Parsons, an active member of the local Chamber of Commerce, saw the need for a first-class hotel and built the Forest Hill Hotel on a lot at the southwest corner of Forest and Gibson. Prior to that time, the whole block had been forest. After Mr. Parsons’s death in 1946, his family sold the hotel to Louis Gross and Harry Berk of San Francisco, who operated it as a hotel for several more years. In 1954, the 100-room building was sold to the Methodist Church for use, accordingtoaspokesmanatthe time, as “a deluxe old people’s home, not a charity institution.” Plans for the facility included maintaining its function as PacificGrove’stopsocialcenter. Civic organizations such as the Rotary Club were encouraged to continue holding meetings there. Heritage Society members who attend the Annual Meeting will have the opportunity to get a close-up look at this beautiful building, which has been so prominent in Pacific Grove history. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the Board of Directors, but are meant to stimulate interest in and discussion of preservation issues. discussion of preservation issues. discussion of preservation issues FEBRUARY HERITAGE SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING Pacific Grove – Forest Hill Manor February 21 APRIL SOUTHWEST ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE Boulder City, Nevada April 9-11 MAY CALIFORNIA PRESERVATION FOUNDATION CONFERENCE Nevada City, California May 12-15 ANNUAL HERITAGE HOUSE AWARDS Pacific Grove – Museum of Natural History May 28 JUNE ASSOCIATION OF GRAVESTONE STUDIES CONFERENCE Granville, Ohio – Denison University June 22-27 Forest Hill Manor from old postcard (Historicalinformationabout Forest Hill Hotel was taken from the Heritage Society’s “Board and Batten,” August/ September 1999 issue.) , OCR Text: Calendar Annual Meeting February 21 at Forest Hill Manor Volume 10, Issue 1 January 2010 The Heritage Society of Pacific Grove Dedicated to Maintaining the Beauty and Individuality of Pacific Grove NEWSLETTER The Heritage Society Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room at Forest Hill Manor, located at the corner of Forest and Gibson Avenues in Pacific Grove. Retiredcollegeprofessor JoeBragdonwillshowslidesand giveatalk, “Cannery Row When It Was,” about the days of the sardineindustryontherowand his acquaintance with Ed “Doc” Ricketts and other actual char- acters from John Steinbeck’s books. Refreshments will be served. Board members will be introduced and new officers for 2010 will be elected, so please plan to attend this important and interesting meeting. The Forest Hill Manor building was erected in 1926 by Samuel Parsons. When the El Carmelo/Pacific Grove Hotel was dismantled in 1918, the town was left with only small inns and rooming houses to house visitors. Mr. Parsons, an active member of the local Chamber of Commerce, saw the need for a first-class hotel and built the Forest Hill Hotel on a lot at the southwest corner of Forest and Gibson. Prior to that time, the whole block had been forest. After Mr. Parsons’s death in 1946, his family sold the hotel to Louis Gross and Harry Berk of San Francisco, who operated it as a hotel for several more years. In 1954, the 100-room building was sold to the Methodist Church for use, accordingtoaspokesmanatthe time, as “a deluxe old people’s home, not a charity institution.” Plans for the facility included maintaining its function as PacificGrove’stopsocialcenter. Civic organizations such as the Rotary Club were encouraged to continue holding meetings there. Heritage Society members who attend the Annual Meeting will have the opportunity to get a close-up look at this beautiful building, which has been so prominent in Pacific Grove history. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the Board of Directors, but are meant to stimulate interest in and discussion of preservation issues. discussion of preservation issues. discussion of preservation issues FEBRUARY HERITAGE SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING Pacific Grove – Forest Hill Manor February 21 APRIL SOUTHWEST ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE Boulder City, Nevada April 9-11 MAY CALIFORNIA PRESERVATION FOUNDATION CONFERENCE Nevada City, California May 12-15 ANNUAL HERITAGE HOUSE AWARDS Pacific Grove – Museum of Natural History May 28 JUNE ASSOCIATION OF GRAVESTONE STUDIES CONFERENCE Granville, Ohio – Denison University June 22-27 Forest Hill Manor from old postcard (Historicalinformationabout Forest Hill Hotel was taken from the Heritage Society’s “Board and Batten,” August/ September 1999 issue.) , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Newsletters,Newsletters,2010,2010,2010 1 Page 1, 2010 1 Page 1