Updated:
October 8, 2006
itrus
fruit is pictured in several
ways throughout the hotel,
including the memorial or Saint
Cecilia windows in the Cloister
Music Room. The
windows, made by artist Henry
Goodhue, are a tribute to Frank
Miller’s wife, Isabella Hardenberg
Miller. Mrs.
Miller died on March 21, 1908. Architect
Arthur Benton incorporated
the windows into the design
of the Music Room at the front
or north end of the room. A
dinner in July 1911 celebrated
the completion of the room. Flags,
paintings, furniture, armor,
and banners combine to give
the illusion of a Spanish
castle grand hall. At
the front of the music room
is a stage. The
three windows are the backdrop,
with the middle window
featuring Mrs. Miller as
Saint Cecilia, the patron
saint of music. Mrs.
Miller is sitting at an
organ
with her favorite Macaw,
Joseph
to the right
Depicted
in the background of the windows
to the left and right are orange
trees with the dark green leaves
and bright fruit. There
is a musical theme to the windows. Some
of the nuns and monks pictured
are playing a variety of instruments. Also
pictured in the windows are various
parts of the Mission Inn, including
the bell tower (Companario), the
Saint Catherine well and the pepper
trees lining Mission Inn Avenue
in front of the hotel. |
