PROFESSOR THADDEUS LOWE
MOUNT LOWE RAILWAY
Rubio Pavilion
At night the canyon above the Pavilion was turned into a fairyland by more than 2,000 illuminated Japanese lanterns. Everyone agreed that Professor Lowe had overlooked no detail nor spared any expense to make the grand opening a memorial event. Mount Lowe, The Railway in the Clouds, page 57.
Thaddeus Lowe (far left) entertaining guests on opening day July 4th 1893
(Courtesy of Huntington Library)
Rubio Pavilion from Rubio Canyon Railbed in 1905
(Courtesy of Los Angeles County Library)
Then, all of a sudden there it was: The elegant Rubio Pavilion and the Incline Station surrounded by a forest garden of sycamore, live oak, and ferns. Built on three floors, one atop the other, the structure seemed just to hang there, spanning the narrow gorge directly above the streambed. Mount Lowe, The Railway in the Clouds, page 61.
Car 450 & Echo Incline car at Rubio Pavilion in 1905
(Courtesy of Los Angeles County Library)
In less than an hour's ride from downtown Pasadena, it was possible to ascend from the orange groves to the heart of Rubio Canyon and enjoy a delightful, delicious lunch in the dining room of the Rubio Hotel, which could accommodate approximately 80 diners. The windows looked down Rubio Canyon, but due to tortuous twists and turns, the valley below was not visible. Mount Lowe, The Railway in the Clouds, page 64.
Car 457 at Rubio Pavilion in 1937
(Courtesy of Los Angeles County Library)
Car 451 and Rubio Incline car at Rubio Pavilion
(Courtesy of Los Angeles County Library)