 |
||||||||
 |
Brunswick Hotel It was in 1874, just five years after the founding of Lindsborg, that Judge S. A. LaBoyteaux built the first hotel on lot 17, now commonly known as the southwest corner of Grant and Main Streets. By 1887 the property was in the hands of millinery store owner Sarah Jenkins. Ms. Jenkins in turn sold it to the Lindsborg Hotel Company headed by B. F. Duncan, president of the First National Bank, for $2,560. The company proceeded with the construction of a new building at the cost of $22,000. Del Anderson, author of a 1987 Lindsborg News Record article, wrote "the grand structure was red brick (locally pressed) trimmed with limestone brought from Manhattan. It contained a lobby, large dining room, second-floor parlor and 33 guest rooms. The Hotel had a coach with a tasseled top to take guests to and from the train depot." E. M. and Cora Weddle, who would continue to manage the hotel until it was sold in 1946, first became involved in 1897 when The Brunswick was owned by Bethany College. A 1902 edition of The McPherson Republican stated The Brunswick was "one of the finest hotel structures in the state." The newspaper stated the ground floor contained "halls, a large and attractive office," a sample room, wash room, and "a spacious as well as a finely finished dining room" with frescoed walls. The Republican continued that each of the 33 guest rooms had "an outside exposure, thus insuring health and comfort to the guests." Hotel guests were given the choice of the $2-a-day American Plan, which included a room and 3 meals, or the room-only European Plan for 75 cents. Sighting difficulties in finding help, the Weddles closed the dining room in 1924. In the 1930's the room was turned into a dance hall for married couples until the State of Kansas stepped in asking $200 for a license, a fee the Weddles could not justify. In 1946 The Brunswick was sold to the Lindsborg American Legion and the Weddle's retired to a home that they had built just south of the hotel. The Legion remained in the building until 1967. Since then it has gone through a succession of owners and uses. In 1976 Robert and Doris Elliot removed the deteriorated third floor and made other major improvements to the outside and inside of the structure. Over the years The Brunswick has been a warehouse for a box factory, a restaurant, private club, a bed and breakfast, and professional office space. As of 2009 it is a private residence.
|
|||||||
