Hamilton Hotel (Bermuda)

Last updated

The Hamilton Hotel in 1875 1875 Hamilton Hotel from Burnaby & Reid Streets, Town of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda by Kilburn Brothers.jpg
The Hamilton Hotel in 1875

Hamilton Hotel was the first hotel in Bermuda. Located on Church Street in Hamilton, construction began in 1852 and opened its doors in 1861. The hotel was instrumental in starting tourism in Bermuda. It was destroyed by fire in 1955. [1]

Contents

History

Hamilton Hotel is on the high ground at the left of this 1920s aerial photograph of the City of Hamilton and Hamilton Harbour Bermuda harbour 1926.jpg
Hamilton Hotel is on the high ground at the left of this 1920s aerial photograph of the City of Hamilton and Hamilton Harbour

Construction was funded by the Corporation of Hamilton. [2] The foundation stone of this building was laid by the Governor of Bermuda, Capt. Charles Elliot, R.N., on August 19, 1852, during the term of Mayor Henry James Tucker. Elliot was assisted in the ceremony by the members of the Masonic lodges, and by the heads of the various Public Departments, Imperial and Colonial. Completed in the following year, it originally had 36 rooms.

On January 27, 1863, a subscription ball was held there, the string band of the Flagship H.M.S. Nile furnishing the music. April 21, 1863 a public dinner was given as a sort of opening of the Hamilton Hotel. D. A. Crowell (died August, 1888, Sohooley's Mountains, New Jersey) conducted the hotel for a short space. The American Civil War exerted a depressing influence on the fortunes of the hotel. In 1865, Joseph Rainey moved his barber shop from St. George's town to the town of Hamilton when an outbreak of yellow fever threatened St. George's. Rainey worked at the Hamilton Hotel as a barber and a bartender, becoming a respected member of the community. When regular steam communication with New York City was assured, the late Jeremiah Harnett took a lease from the Corporation and associated with himself the late Mr. Dodge. The lease then entered on formed the groundwork one between Walter Aiken and the Corporation of Hamilton. James Russell Mead assumed control for the season of 1894. [3] During the Second World War, the hotel housed a United Services Club for the recreation of Allied service personnel. Subsequently acquired by the colonial Government, then the Corporation of Hamilton, it was used for various purposes until it was destroyed by fire December 23, 1955 and replaced with the current City Hall. [4]

Architecture and fittings

Hamilton Hotel, after additional floors were added to the original two-storey structure Hamilton Hotel.png
Hamilton Hotel, after additional floors were added to the original two-storey structure
Hamilton Hotel, after construction of the new western wing Hamilton Hotel, Bermuda.png
Hamilton Hotel, after construction of the new western wing

The original design comprized a two-storey centre (two which two additional floors, including an attic level, would be added) with two lateral wings and dining hall and kitchen in rear, the building being shaped as a capital The first addition made was a west wing, then extension of the dining room. The additions and alterations began in 1884 and completed 1886 altered entirely the whole aspect of the house and converted it into a hotel of large proportions. The old construction was carefully examined and wherever requisite either renewed or strengthened. In addition to the ordinary plastering, the whole building was painted externally. [3]

New and extensive tanks were provided added. In 1888, a well was bored and successfully completed, still further improving them. In 1890, a steam passenger elevator was provided and more tankage constructed, and an ice-making machine introduced. In 1891, ten more bedrooms were added in the attic extended over the west wing instead of the flat Bermudian stone roof. In 1892, the office and waiting-room were enlarged under a better arrangement. [3]

In 1909, it was enlarged and improved. There were then 260 rooms with baths, enough accommodation for 500 persons. It was substantial stone and concrete structure, lit with electricity and gas, and containing three elevators. There were 200 baths en-suite and numerous public baths on each floor. The hotel was heated by steam, and had open fires for cool days. The public rooms were large and comfortable, and an orchestra was provided.( Caledonian Publishing Company 1912 , p. 333)

Grounds

Situated on high ground overlooking the town and harbor of Hamilton, it afforded good views, and was convenient to shops, churches, Government buildings, parade grounds and the golf and cricket fields.( Caledonian Publishing Company 1912 , p. 333) The grounds were laid out in terraces containing flowers and various shrubs, while the drive up and the steps for pedestrians were improved. To the northwest, adjoining the hotel in 1886, a new building called The Annex was erected, which afforded privacy to those staying there. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Thermae</i> Public facilities for bathing in ancient Rome

In ancient Rome, thermae and balneae were facilities for bathing. Thermae usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while balneae were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Rainey</span> American Republican politician (1832–1887)

Joseph Hayne Rainey was an American politician. He was the first black person to serve in the United States House of Representatives and the second black person to serve in the United States Congress. His service included time as presiding officer of the House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Princess & Beach Club</span> Hotel in Bermuda

The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, A Fairmont Managed Hotel is one of the grandest and most famous hotels in Bermuda, located in Pembroke Parish just outside the City of Hamilton. It also happens to be the oldest hotel in the Fairmont chains. One of the largest in Bermuda, it has over 400 rooms. It is one of two Fairmont Hotels on the island, the second being the Fairmont Southampton, which was originally opened as the Southampton Princess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Lake Hotel</span>

Hot Lake Hotel is a historic Colonial Revival hotel originally built in 1864 in Hot Lake, Union County, Oregon, United States. The hotel received its namesake from the thermal spring lakes on the property, and operated as a luxury resort and sanitorium during the turn of the century, advertising the medicinal attributes of the mineral water and drawing visitors worldwide. It is also the first known commercial building in the world to utilize geothermal energy as its primary heat source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel McAlpin</span> Residential building in Manhattan, New York

Herald Towers, formerly the Hotel McAlpin, is a residential condominium building on Herald Square, along Broadway between 33rd and 34th Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Constructed from 1910 to 1912 by the Greeley Square Hotel Company, it operated as a short-term hotel until 1976. The building was designed by Frank Mills Andrews in the Italian Renaissance style and was the largest hotel in the world at the time of its completion, with 1,500 guestrooms. The hotel was expanded in 1917, when Warren and Wetmore designed an annex with 200 rooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Lee Stoddart</span> American architect

William Lee Stoddart (1868–1940) was an architect who designed urban hotels in the Eastern United States. Although he was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, most of his commissions were in the South. He maintained offices in Atlanta and New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Leland Hotel (Detroit)</span> United States historic place

The Detroit-Leland Hotel is a historic hotel located at 400 Bagley Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest continuously operating hotel in downtown Detroit, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The ballroom of the Detroit-Leland has hosted a nightclub, the Leland City Club, since 1983. The hotel is now named The Leland and no longer rents to overnight guests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcano House</span> Historic Place in Hawaii County, Hawaii

Volcano House is the name of a series of historic hotels built at the edge of Kīlauea, within the grounds of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the Island of Hawai'i. The original 1877 building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and now houses the Volcano Art Center. The hotel in use today was built in 1941 and expanded in 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buxton Crescent</span> Grade I listed architectural structure in the United Kingdom

Buxton Crescent is a Grade-I-listed building in the town of Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It owes much to the Royal Crescent in Bath, but has been described by the Royal Institution of British Architects as "more richly decorated and altogether more complex". It was designed by the architect John Carr of York, and built for the 5th Duke of Devonshire between 1780 and 1789. In 2020, following a multi-year restoration and redevelopment project supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Derbyshire County Council, The Crescent was reopened as a 5-star spa hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Eastern Hotel, London</span> Hotel in the City of London

Andaz London Liverpool Street is a 5 star hotel in the Bishopsgate Without area of the City of London; situated immediately south of Liverpool Street station, originally built as the Great Eastern Hotel in 1884. The building underwent extensive renovation and expansion between 1899 and 1901 and again in 2000, when it was co-owned by Terence Conran. Hyatt has owned the hotel since 2006, operating it under the Andaz brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corinthia Hotel Budapest</span> Building in Budapest, Hungary

The Corinthia Hotel Budapest at the Elizabeth Boulevard in Budapest, is a historic luxury hotel. Opened in 1896 as the Grand Hotel Royal, a hub for the elite of 19th century society, the hotel has undergone extensive modification throughout the 20th century, and has in the 21st century been restored and reopened as the Corinthia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bimini Baths</span> Los Angeles natatorium (1903–1951)

Bimini Baths was a geothermal mineral water public bathhouse and plunge in what is now Koreatown, Los Angeles, California, US. It was situated just west of downtown, near Third Street and Vermont Avenue. Bimini Baths contained a natatorium, swimming pools, swimming plunge, Turkish baths, a medical treatment department, and bottling works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldorf Hotel (Fargo, North Dakota)</span>

The Waldorf Hotel was a hotel building in Fargo, North Dakota, US with entrances on Seventh and Front streets. It opened on April 1, 1899 and was demolished in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldorf-Astoria (1893–1929)</span> Former hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Waldorf-Astoria originated as two hotels, built side by side by feuding relatives, on Fifth Avenue in New York, New York, United States. Built in 1893 and expanded in 1897, the hotels were razed in 1929 to make way for construction of the Empire State Building. Their successor, the current Waldorf Astoria New York, was built on Park Avenue in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Hill Hotel (New York City)</span> Demolished hotel in Manhattan, New York

Murray Hill Hotel was a hotel situated at 112 Park Avenue in Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1884, with 600 rooms and two courtyards, it was demolished in 1947. It was part of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holland House (New York City)</span> Former hotel in Manhattan, New York

Holland House was a New York City hotel located at 274–276 Fifth Avenue at the southwest corner of 30th Street in NoMad, Manhattan, New York City, with a frontage of 250 feet (76 m) on Fifth Avenue. The architects and designers were George Edward Harding & Gooch. A mercantile building by the 1920s, in the present day, it is a loft building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albemarle Hotel</span> Demolished hotel in Manhattan, New York

Albemarle Hotel was located at 1101 Broadway in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1860 and overlooking Madison Square, it was one of the largest hotels on the avenue in its day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furness Bermuda Line</span>

Furness Bermuda Line was a UK shipping line that operated in the 20th century. It was part of Furness, Withy and ran passenger liners between New York and the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda from 1919 to 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buxton Baths</span> Listed buildings in Derbyshire, England

The Buxton Baths using natural thermal spring water are in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The baths date back to Roman times and were the basis for developing Buxton as a Georgian and Victorian spa town. The present buildings of the Thermal Baths and the Natural Mineral Baths were opened in the 1850s. They are positioned either side of the Buxton Crescent at the foot of The Slopes in the town's Central Conservation Area. They are both Grade II listed buildings designed by Henry Currey, architect for the 7th Duke of Devonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Turkish baths</span> Type of bath in which the bather sweats freely in hot dry air, then washes

The Victorian Turkish bath is a type of bath in which the bather sweats freely in hot dry air, is then washed, often massaged, and has a cold wash or shower. It can also mean, especially when used in the plural, an establishment where such a bath is available.

References

  1. Philpott 2004, p. 16.
  2. Forbes, Keith Archibald. "Bermuda's History from 1952 to 1999". bermuda-online.org. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 D. M. Lee 1894, p. 190-191.
  4. "Preparing Pamphlet on Temperatures". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. 9 January 1948. p. 1. Curious to discover what was likely to happen to the Hamilton Meteorological Station, on the top floor of the Hamilton Hotel, now that B.O.A.C. are giving up Darrell's Island and their flying boats for Kindley Field and Constellations, a Royal Gazette reporter visited Dr. W. A. Macky Bermuda's meteorologist.

Bibliography

32°17′39″N64°46′59″W / 32.29417°N 64.78306°W / 32.29417; -64.78306