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OWN A PIECE OF FSHA HISTORY
- Item Number
- 2120
- Estimated Value
- Priceless
Item Description
This unique writing desk was used by guests of the original Flintridge/Biltmore Hotel. Also includes two chairs.
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose in 1931. The school’s original Mission-style buildings, designed in 1927 as a resort hotel by noted Southern California architect Myron Hunt, overlook the San Gabriel Valley and the Pasadena Rose Bowl from the crest of the scenic San Rafael Hills.
The resort, originally built and managed by Senator Frank P. Flint, opened in 1927 as the Flintridge Hotel and was soon after sold to the Biltmore Hotel chain. Unfortunately, the hilltop retreat was deemed too expensive to maintain and closed shortly after the onset of the Great Depression. At the same time, the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose were making plans to build a convent and girls’ school on a tract of land they had purchased in Sierra Madre.
After hearing about the resort’s closure, the Archbishop Cantwell contacted the Sisters and suggested that the abandoned hotel would suit their needs. Following his advice, the Sisters purchased the entire resort — including the nine original buildings, hotel furnishings and surrounding land — at auction for $150,000. According to legend, on August 15, 1931, three Dominican Sisters traveled up the hill to take possession of their new school, carrying with them a single five-dollar bill and a statue of the Blessed Mother. The school opened for the first day of classes two weeks later — on September 2, 1931 — with 200 students enrolled in grades 1 through 12.
Item Special Note
This item will be available for bidding at Gala on Saturday, May 3rd.. If you are interested in placing an absentee bid, please email gala@fsha.org.
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