Boston's Forgotten Hotels

Boston is as an old city, at least as far as American standards go. But despite it's brownstone buildings, steepled churches, cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks the city has gone through many distinct periods of rejuvenation and renovation. And in so doing many of the city's historical buildings and establishments now only exist on the pages of history. Often times it is the act of destruction that has been the cause of such revitalization. Such was the case with The Great Fire of 1872 when most all of the downtown area and financial district was burnt to the ground giving it the look of a bombed out city. 

Not all of Boston's historic buildings met such violent ends however and many of them experienced a long and storied tenure before meeting their ultimate end; most notable are Boston's once-famous hotels. These 19th century establishments characterized the height of elegance and accommodation that the city was known for with celebrities, politicians and high ranking businessmen all adding to their prestige. Many of these hotels would live on well into the 20th century but would eventually succumb to the ever changing landscape of a modernizing city. 

Despite obvious differences in accommodation during the 1800s potential lodgers were still in need of much of the same information we still seek today: location, price, comfort, amenities, entertainment and reputation. The one markedly different bit of information that hotels listed was who the proprietor was along with his or her history of hotel management. Although not often done for hotels anymore, the practice is more akin to listing the chef of a restaurant. It let the lodger know the quality of the hotel since the reputation of the proprietor was essential to the reputation of the hotel. It was also standard practice to state whether the hotel was on the European Plan or the American Plan. This indicated whether boarders had their meals included in the rate (American Plan) or excluded (European Plan); a system that originated right in Boston at the Parker House which is the oldest continuously operating hotel in America. 

These bastions of old world hospitality now only exist on paper and in the fleeting memories of a few remaining souls still alive today. Below are several of the more prominent Boston hotels from the 19th century and a glimpse into the world they serviced. 

THE CLARENDON

519-525 Tremont St.

The Clarendon was a hotel highly regarded by Boston travelers and was located in the South End on Tremont St. right next door to the Cyclorama (where the Butcher Shop restaurant now stands). This advert from 1882 states that "It's rooms are large, airy, and handsomely furnished" and even lets interested boarders know that it does indeed have a Passenger Elevator. Despite the invention of the elevator being some 30 years prior its widespread adoption was still ongoing. Before elevators became standard the rooms on the bottom floor were more sought after than those at the top. While not much exists in record keeping for The Clarendon there is a record from the Boston Fire Department of a blaze that went through half the building on Feb 6, 1969. Clearly the hotel adapted with the times and made it well into the 1900s, surviving Boston's never ending renovations during the 20th century. 

 AMERICAN HOUSE

56 Hanover St.

"This well known first-class hotel is the largest in New England and offers to families, tourists, and the traveling public, superior accommodations." The American House was located on a part of Hanover Street that no longer exists, right next to present day City Hall (at the present site of the John F. Kennedy Building). The hotel stood on the edge of Scollay Square which was known for it's party atmosphere and red light district allure. But when the American House was built in 1835 no such atmosphere existed and the area was an upstanding destination of the city. When this advert was published in 1882 the hotel was notable for its "bathing conveniences" and was "particularly desirable for families and summer travelers" due to the growing need to bathe when you traveled. The hotel eventually closed in 1935, making the lifetime of the American House exactly one century.

HAMPTON HOUSE

Haymarket Square

Hampton House stood in Haymarket Square when Haymarket was actually a square - not a public transit stop. But to picture the hotel as it was you'd have to imagine there is no Greenway and no on-ramp to the highway as the hotel stood exactly over the highway entrance in front of Haymarket Station. Rows of buildings spanned the Greenway space is and the skyline view that Bostonians now enjoy from this vantage point was nonexistant. In it's day the Hampton House was a high quality stop for business travelers due to its proximity to the major railroad depots entering the city. These depots collectively were the equivalent of North Station, housing all of the north bound trains from the city. As of 1882, it had been "newly furnished and is supplied with every comfort and keeps an excellent table." And "commercial men ascertain that the Hampton House deserves a large large share of patronage."

NEW ENGLAND HOUSE

Blackstone St. 

The uniqueness of this advertisement for the New England House is it's mention of the current rates being in "keeping with the depression in business" at that time. This description was published in a folio book from 1882 which was a time of prosperity in the United States. However, in the mid to late 1870s the US was experiencing it's largest financial crisis to date and industries across the nation were experiencing a downturn. When comparing this advertisement to the others here it becomes apparent that the information on each hotel was collected over a much longer period of time than would be expected today. 

UNITED STATES HOTEL
Corner of Essex and Beach St.

The United States Hotel was most likely the largest hotel then in existence in Boston. It was located on the edge of where China Town now is, a few blocks away from the southern railroad lines where South Station currently is. The hotel was built in 1824 and developed a sterling reputation. It catered to both transient and permanent guests which was more of a common occurrence to live in a hotel in the 19th century. It's central location to "the Great Mercantile Establishments, Post Office, Custom House, Places of Amusement, etc." made it a heavily traveled establishment. The great politician and orator Daniel Webster stayed here and he was as much a celebrity as anyone in those days. The hotel was eventually torn down by 1938.




QUINCY HOUSE
Brattle Square

Quincy House was one of the more celebrated hotels in Boston during the late 19th century. It was certainly one of the biggest with nearly 500 rooms following renovations in c. 1885. The building was located almost exactly where City Hall Plaza currently is and was built in the early 1800s on the site of the very first Quaker meeting house in Boston. The hotel became known as the "official headquarters of the labor organization" due to a host of labor unions holding their regular meetings there. One of the more infamous groups to meet there was an unofficial board from the state's Democratic Party where they determined electoral appointees and distributed patronage to secure the position. John F. Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, was one of the members of this self-styled Board of Strategy. The hotel took a downturn as labor patronage in the early 20th century declined and was eventually demolished in 1935 to make room for a parking lot.



ST. JAMES HOTEL
Franklin Square

The St. James Hotel was situated in an idyllic spot of Boston right on the edge of Blacksone Square and Franklin Square in the South End. The hotel was known as a "first class modern" establishment and had reading and smoking rooms, club rooms, ladies' and gentleman's parlors, a telegraph office and an elevator. In 1870 the hotel was taken over by the New England Conservatory of Music and become their main campus before they relocated in the early 20th century. The building fell into disrepair for a time but in 1902 was bought and rejuvenated by Reverend George Perin in order to become a home for young ladies who worked long hours and could not afford proper housing. The building was sold to the city in 1970 and became low income housing to the city's underserved population for which the Franklin Square House Foundation proudly serves.