South Arroyo in Pasadena in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
107 S. Fair Oaks Ave
Photographed by Tatiana Zavala, December 8, 2024
1. 107 S. Fair Oaks Ave Marker
Built 1887
107 S. Fair Oaks Ave.
Historically significant to the Old Pasadena Historic District
City of Pasadena
Mills Act Program
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.
Location. 34° 8.626′ N, 118° 9.036′ W. Marker is in Pasadena, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in South Arroyo. It is at the intersection of Fair Oaks Avenue and Dayton Street, on the right when traveling south on Fair Oaks Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 107 S Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena CA 91105, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles and in the Transverse Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. Mills Place (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Regarding 107 S. Fair Oaks Ave. Significant historical property which housed the first Black-owned hotel in Pasadena.
Also see . . .
1. Remembering Pasadena's First Black-Owned Hotel.
One of the hubs for the Pasadena African-American community in the mid-twentieth century was the Hotel Carver, located at 107 South Fair Oaks Ave.(Submitted on December 11, 2024, by Tatiana Zavala of Orange County, California.)
Dating to the 1880s, the building was originally a showroom for a stagecoach company. In 1940, Percy Carter and his family purchased the building and opened Pasadenas firstBlack-owned hotel, which they named the Hotel Carver after George Washington Carver. In addition to the Blue Room dining hall on the second floor, the hotel basement hosted a nightclub, once called the Onyx Club and later the Club Cobra, which featured up-and-coming jazz musicians such as trumpeter Clora Bryant and bassist George Morrow.Photographed by Tatiana Zavala, December 8, 20242. Doty Block building/Hotel Carver
In 1970, the descendants of Percy Carter sold the hotel to Duane Waddell, who converted the ground floor to The Pasadena Repertory Theater and created art studios on the upper floors.
After sustaining damage in the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, the Carver Hotel building was remodeled and retrofitted. In 1996, a group of artists from the Carver held a reunion art show on the sidewalk in front of the building called A Brief Re-birth of the Hotel Carver as part of a festival sponsored by Newtown Pasadena. Today, the building is mixed-use retail and office space.
2. Photo of Doty Block in late 1800's, before the turret was removed. This link shows a photo of the Doty Building in the late 1800's. It is depicted to the right of the Acme Building. The original building had a turret on the south east corner of the building. Link Published by University of Southern California Libraries, digital collection. Source: Pasadena Museum of History (contributing entity), Pasadena Museum of History Collection. Relation References: [Identification of item], Black History Collection, Pasadena Museum of History. Research Library and Archives
A photograph of the Doty block, the future location of the Carver Hotel, 107 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA.(Submitted on December 12, 2024, by Tatiana Zavala of Orange County, California.)
"Doty Bldg; Carver Hotel; PHS photo collection S-43-5; PHS Negative S-43-5; Property of Pasadena Historical Museum Black History Collection"--written on the back of photograph. [copy of original located in Box I/2 - Folder 53; donor Kevin Brechner]
Additional keywords. Hotel Carver, Doty Block, Club Onyx, Club Cobra, Hotel Mikado
Credits. This page was last revised on April 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 11, 2024, by Tatiana Zavala of Orange County, California. This page has been viewed 423 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 11, 2024, by Tatiana Zavala of Orange County, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
