Olivenhain Meeting Hall
The most prominent and enduring landmark in Olivenhain is the Olivenhain Meeting Hall. The Meeting Hall may have been built in honor of the colonists 10th anniversary, since the decision to build a meeting hall was made in November 1894, ten years after the first arrivals. The hall was built by Bill Dommes, a carpenter, and community volunteers. Bill Dommes was paid $6. The exact date the hall was completed is unknown, but the first recorded use is found in the minutes of a colony meeting held March 22, 1895. The interior included a musician’s stage on the southeast corner, a pot belly stove on the north wall and a bar counter extending halfway across the east wall. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Olivenhain, San Diego County
Photographer: John Bare