Robinson Hotel, historic hotel in Julian, California
The Robinson Hotel is a lodging establishment built around 1897 in Julian, California. The building contains fourteen guest rooms, a large kitchen, a dining area, and a common room that have maintained their original structure and early 1900s style.
Albert Robinson, born enslaved in Missouri in 1845, built the hotel with his wife Margaret in 1897 after they married in 1886. It was among the first businesses in the area owned and operated by an African American, running continuously until 1921 when Margaret sold it.
The hotel served as a gathering place for the local community and hosted social events that brought people together. Margaret was known for preparing late-night meals after the dances held at the nearby town hall, making hospitality and food a central part of community life.
The hotel sits on Julian's town square and is easy to locate, marked with a historical plaque outside that tells visitors about the Robinsons and their role in the town. The property operates as a working lodging facility, allowing guests to experience the building and its history firsthand.
The property was originally a restaurant and bakery where Margaret became known for her special Sunday chicken dinner before being rebuilt as a hotel in 1897. The Jacobs family who later owned it renamed it after an earlier hotel in town, which is why the building is known today as the Julian Hotel.
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