H74.407.7

Product container. Description: Hotel Oakland Cigar Box, wood with brass hardware, Sampson's Selection Object: Cigar box, from the Hotel Oakland. History: This box once stood on a dining room sideboard in the sumptuous Hotel Oakland. After dinner, a waiter brought the box around to the tables so guests could help themselves to cigars. Built in 1912, the Hotel Oakland is now an Historic Landmark. It stands (despite extensive damage in the 1989 earthquake) at 13th and Alice Streets in downtown Oakland. Today it is a retirement residence. But it spent its first thirty years as a center of Oakland's social life, a meeting place for elite society. With its Spanish-style towers, its columns, gardens, and elegant public rooms, the hotel represented the sophisticated prosperity of turn-of-the century California. Gift of Laetitia Meyer From the History Information Station: Object: Cup, plate, butter dish, tea menu, and brochure from the Hotel Oakland. History: Built in 1912, the Hotel Oakland still stands (despite extensive damage in the 1989 earthquake) at 13th and Alice Streets in downtown Oakland. Today it is a retirement residence. But it spent its first thirty years as a center of Oakland's social life, a meeting place for elite society. Its popular afternoon tea service was served on dishes sporting California Live Oak leaves and acorns. With its Spanish-style towers, its columns, gardens, and elegant public rooms, the Hotel Oakland represented the sophisticated prosperity of turn-of-the century California. Gifts of Laetitia Meyer and Bertha Toy

Used: Hotel Oakland | Sampson's Selection | Downtown neighborhood