The Parsons Brothers and the Cosmopolitan Hotel
~A Discussion~
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June 30, 1869
The San Diego Union, page 3, column 2
PARSONS BROTHERS—BUILDERS AND JOINERS.–During a late visit to South San Diego we had the pleasure of looking through the extensive shops of Parsons Brothers, located near the lumber yard of McDonald, Gale & Co., and close to the wharf of A.E. Horton. We had heard considerable about what these gentlemen were doing in the way of establishing something new and useful in the growing town of Hortonville, but were agreeably surprised to find that they had such complete and thorough shops and fixtures to work out the various branches of their trade. We noticed sash-doors and blinds in all stages, from the lumber sawed into shape to be painted and finished articles ready to place in the buildings. They have several pieces of moulding of rare finish made in their shops. All mortising and boring done by machinery. The whole establishment is driven by steam.
Just as steam power has advantages over blood and muscle, so have these gentlemen advantages over builders who are getting along without the aid of it. Notwithstanding their facilities of steam and machinery, these gentlemen employ not less than fifteen men weekly to push on their heavy operations.
Jobs are taken and the houses are constructed in the lumber yard or at the shops, already to put together when they are taken to the ground, and put together on short notice. As a sample of the rapidity with which they dispose of large undertakings and erect fine dwellings we mention the substantial houses and elegant residences of Gale and McDonald. The houses are exactly alike, and the description of one will give an idea of both. The main building is 32 ft. by 22, with an L 14 ft. by 23 ft., two stories high: the lower story is 10 ft. 6 in., and the upper story 9 ft. 8 in. in height, with hard finish throughout. There is more room in this house than any we have seen for a long time, considering the size of it. Its arrangement is complete. Has two handsome roomy parlors below with fire place and marble mantles; the dining room and kitchen are large, with neatly finished pantries full of drawers and shelves. The woman that would not be pleased with the finish of these rooms for home comfort and cooking purposes would object to marriage and house keeping under any circumstances.
The rooms up stairs are five in number, all well arranged, well ventilated and good sized, fit sleeping arrangements for the most fastidious or the fairest of the fair. The closets are large enough to hide a half dozen lovers in, and at the same time leaving room for all the necessary little things that will gather in and about sleeping rooms.
These houses were commenced on the 22d day of May and will be finished complete by the 2d day of July. They only cost 3,200 each. Persons wishing to build a good home should take a look at these houses before building. The architecture and finish are, in our judgment, suited to the climate in this part of the State, and do great credit to the builders, the Parsons Brothers.
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This post will discuss aspects of the conversion of the single-storied Casa de Bandini into the two-storied Cosmopolitan Hotel; from a single family home into a hotel and stage coach office. In the history of Old Town San Diego, this one act did more to symbolize the change from a pueblo to an American town, in my opinion.
In brief, Albert Seeley purchased the adobe Casa de Bandini in early 1869 (see Figure 1). The June 23rd edition of The San Diego Union of that year indicated that work had begun, though there was no mention of who was doing the conversion work. The first advertisement for the Parson Brothers as builders also appeared in that edition (see Figure 2). In the June 30th edition, the article described the Parsons Brothers steam works and listed some of their ongoing projects. No mention is made of Seeley or the Cosmopolitan Hotel. By the July 28th edition, it was reported that the Parsons Brothers part of the work on the Cosmopolitan Hotel was an estimated two weeks from completion. Finally, on September 8th, it was reported that work on the Cosmopolitan was nearly complete.
Even using a generous time frame, it appears that the Parsons Brothers completed all the work of converting the Casa de Bandini into the Cosmopolitan Hotel in about four months! An impressive achievement for 2014, let alone 1869!
The June 30th, 1869 newspaper article, reproduced above in its entirety, mentions the company's capabilities in construction of stand-alone wooden structures as well as the impressive steam-powered machinery and workshops. Very detailed descriptions are given of the kind of building job the company specialized in. Taking advantage of their extensive workshops and hi-tech (for the time) machinery, Parsons Brothers were known for the speed in which large houses were completed. Houses were prepared at their shops and assembled at the sight very quickly; along the lines of a kit house. In addition, their workshops were equipped to turn out doors, moulding and other finished items ready for painting and installation.
These factors contributed to the speed in which Parsons Brothers could complete a job. The example provided stated that a large house could be constructed in its entirety within six weeks. Considering these factors, it is possible to see how the Parsons Brothers could complete the conversion of the Casa de Bandini into the Cosmopolitan Hotel in around four months.
However, there is no mention in any source material of Parsons having any background in repurposing or converting an existing structure, never mind a structure made of adobe.
What exactly was the Parsons Brothers firm tasked with in this conversion?
Over the years, the Casa de Bandini was used for several different purposes. By the time of Juan Bandini's death in 1859, decay and ruin had set in. By the early 1860s, no one lived in the Casa anymore and it stood unoccupied. According to contemporary accounts, the casa had suffered moderate damage from previous incidents. In an earthquake in May 1862, the house suffered major cracks in the dining room and the frames of the doors and windows were loosened. Also recorded were personal accounts detailing the effect of flooding in early 1862. The flood waters, primarily overflow from the San Diego River, heavily damaged the adobe walls around the corral and garden of the casa (see Figure 3). Though no mention is made of any impact on the adobe house itself during the flood, one can surmise that the structure was damaged or structurally weakened to some extent as well.
Photographic evidence from 1868 (see Figure 4) and 1869 (see Figure 5) appears to support the above statements. These photos show the north wing of the casa present and standing around the time Seeley purchased the casa and the Parsons started the conversion. The damage to the corral wall is clearly visible. However, the strength and stability of the casa's north wing cannot be determined from the photos or personal accounts.
The Parsons Brothers had to determine the extent of the damage to the Casa de Bandini and decide upon the best course of action to take. As it turned out, the Parsons Brothers removed the north wing of the casa, cleared away debris from the north wing, stabilized the structure afterward and added the second story; thus converting the U-shaped adobe into the L-shaped American hotel. In addition, it is very likely that the Parsons Brothers provided the fixtures to complete the interior of the hotel, based on the capabilities revealed in the June 30 newspaper article. Figures
Figure 1:
Basic floor plan of the Casa de Bandini
Excerpted from Cosmopolitan Chronicle, Vol. 1, Num. 11 May 23, 2008
Figure 2:
Parsons Brother advertisement
The San Diego Union, June 30, 1869, page 2.
Figure 3:
Single level plan of Casa de BandiniCasa de Bandini Historic Structure Report
Figure 4: Enlargement of 1867/68 Photograph. San Diego Historical Society #3865. 
Figure 5:
Enlargement of 1869 Photograph by Rudolf Schiller. San Diego Historical Society #3861-A.
Sources Casa de Bandini Historic Structure Report, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, San Diego, California September 2004
Cosmopolitan Chronicle, 2008-2009 Various issues.
Hayes, Benjamin Ignatius, 1874 Notes on California Affairs. Ms. C-E 81 at Bancroft Library, Berkeley.
San Diego Historical Society Photographs, 1868-1869, Various photographs from the collection of the San Diego Historical Society cited in text by photograph number.
The San Diego Union (The San Diego Weekly Union), 1869, June 30
