Historical Marker · No. 954
Croll Building
Alameda, Alameda County · California
Erected by Joaquin Murrieta Chapter 13, E Clampus Vitus, 2023
The bronze on the wall was written to correct the one before it. The Clampers' 1980 plaque called Croll's a bar since 1879, and after it was stolen the Alameda historian Dennis Evanosky helped them write the 2023 replacement: Patrick and Ann Britt built the Britt Hotel in 1879, and Johnny Croll bought the saloon in 1883. The register cares about the boxing. Corbett, Fitzsimmons, Jeffries and Jack Johnson all stayed and trained here in the decades before the First World War. No state plaque marks the building.
What the plaque says
Croll's Built in 1879 by Patrick and Ann Britt, this building was originally named the Britt Hotel. In 1883, promoter and entrepreneur Johnny Croll purchased the saloon and soon the entire building became known as Croll's. This site was famous as the training quarters for some of the greatest fighters in boxing history, such as Bob "Ruby Rob" Fitzsimmons, James "The Boilermaker" Jeffries and Jack "The Galveston Giant" Johnson. During this time, the South Pacific Coast Railroad was established by James "Slippery Jim" Fair, the renowned silver king. Train tracks ran alongside the building and in 1885 a station platform was added by the entrance door to make the hotel more inviting. After making a journey around Cape Horn, the magnificent mahogany bar arrived in 1902 to grace the saloon. On July 14, 1903, a locomotive mysteriously exploded near the front of the building. The locomotive's big brass bell was hurled 300 feet and landed near the open boxing ring of James "Gentleman Jim" Corbett's training quarters at Croll's Gardens. Croll's was a frolicking epicenter during the golden years of Neptune Beach, known as "The Coney Island of the West." This historic establishment continues to offer an atmosphere of jubilation with the finest libations for visitors to this day. Original dedication February 23, 1980 XSNGH Geno Fambrini Rededicated June 24, 2023 Joaquin Murrieta Chapter 13 E Clampus Vitus
Where it stands
37.77155, -122.27663 · Directions
Worth the stop nearby
- Muir Beach Overlook — 18 miA cliff edge on Highway 1, and the concrete dugouts where two-man crews watched the sea after Pearl Harbor.
- Muir Woods National Monument — 18 miA redwood canyon saved from a reservoir by a gift, and named for a man who had been there once.