Historic Glen Tavern Inn Put Up for Sale

Santa Paula’s historic Glen Tavern Inn is for sale, after an attempt to convert the landmark hotel into a satellite college for Japanese students apparently fell victim to hard times.

The Tokyo International College Center for Western Studies opened its doors in 1989 when Joseph Hoang of Tokyo purchased the 41-room hotel for $2.1 million. The building now lists for $1.5 million, said Anita Pulido of Coldwell Banker--Citrus Valley Realtors.

The owners owe more than $41,000 in delinquent taxes and must pay an additional $12,500 installment by April, said John McKinney of the Ventura County tax collector’s office. Each month a 1.5% penalty is added to the delinquent amount, he said.

City officials said the owners had intended for the school to serve as a window on America for Japanese students. But there was a shortage of students, and strategies to raise income apparently faltered, city officials said.

“Frankly, I always wondered how they kept their lights on,” said Arnold Dowdy, Santa Paula’s city administrator.

Built in 1911, the historic Tudor-style inn near the Santa Paula train depot served as the premier hotel for the city’s turn-of-the-century elite, including officials of Union Oil Co., which was founded in Santa Paula, Pulido said.

The inn--with its 28,000 square feet of space that includes a banquet hall, bar, grand lobby, stone fireplace, pool house and four apartments--is on the list of Ventura County landmarks.

City officials said financial problems became apparent soon after Hoang converted the hotel into a satellite campus for Japanese students.

“We saw very few students ever in town,” said Councilwoman Robin Sullivan, who is in her second year as president of the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce.

Mel Howery, who heads the city’s recreation department, said he began renting rooms at the inn for a senior hostel program but quit using the facility when a gas leak forced the building to close briefly about two years ago.

City residents say they hope that the inn will be bought by someone who can again make the historic structure part of the city’s life. “The Glen Tavern is the centerpiece of the community,” Sullivan said.

A spokesman for the building’s owner could not be reached for comment.