Vignette > Kenilworth Inn

1904 ad for Kenilworth Inn

In September 1914, an old landmark was destroyed by fire. The Kenilworth on the corner of Throckmorton and Cornwall had closed.  Only a caretaker resided there. The two-story building had been a hotel and inn with 25 bedrooms.  In the basement were mud baths consisting of blue clay obtained from a nearby spring on Lovell Ave.  An elevator went from the basement to the attic. In 1913, a San Francisco physician was in the process of planning for its occupancy as a sanitarium. Back in March 1907, the Kenilworth hotel opened for summer operation only. It closed after a few years. Earlier, openings had been announced in 1903, and again in 1904, both short term operations.  The Monte Vista Hotel had been built on the site in about 1895. In 1897 it was enlarged and modernized and became the Kenilworth Inn. The dining room seating 100 guests was enclosed in glass. The cuisine was reportedly excellent. Mr. Oscar Wallenberg, of the Royal Swedish Gymnastic Institute of Stockholm, the best masseur on the Coast, presided over the mud baths. A carriage provided free transportation to and from the train depot. Today, the house on the site stands over the elevator shaft foundation.