Hotel Manger

Last updated
The Hotel Manger, Hotel Madison
Hotel Manger 1950s postcard.jpg
Hotel Manger in the 1950s
Hotel Manger
Hotel chain Manger (1930–1958)
General information
Location Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°21′57″N71°03′40″W / 42.3658°N 71.0611°W / 42.3658; -71.0611
OpeningAugust 30, 1930
ClosedOctober 30, 1976
DemolishedMay 15, 1983
Cost$2.8 million
OwnerManger Hotels & Boston & Maine Railroad (1930–1958)
Boston & Maine Railroad (1958–1963)
Linnell & Cox (1963–1963)
Dison Corp. (1963–1983)
Boston Redevelopment Authority (1983–1983)
Technical details
Floor count17
Design and construction
Architect(s)Funk & Wilcox [1]
Other information
Number of rooms500

The Hotel Manger (pronounced Mang-er as in hangar), renamed the Hotel Madison in 1959, was a hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, that operated from 1930 to 1976. It was attached to North Station and the Boston Garden. In 1983, the building was demolished to make way for the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Federal Building.

Contents

Development

On November 15, 1927, Homer Loring, chairman of the Boston & Maine Railroad, announced that plans had been finalized for the construction of a new North Station facility, which would include a sports arena, hotel, office building, and distributing terminal. [2] On July 15, 1929, Manger Hotels and the Boston & Maine Railroad announced that the two parties had signed a contract for the construction of the hotel. B&M and Manger would each hold 50% of the stock in the building company and the hotel would be leased to a company owned by Julius Manger. The cost of the building was to be $2.8 million. [1]

Opening

Postcard of the hotel, circa 1930-1945. The Causeway Street elevated is not shown. North Station, Boston, Mass (64042).jpg
Postcard of the hotel, circa 1930–1945. The Causeway Street elevated is not shown.

The Hotel Manger opened to the public on August 30, 1930. [3] [4] It was the fifteenth hotel opened by the Manger chain, which also owned hotels in New York City and Chicago. [5] The 17-story hotel contained 500 rooms, a restaurant, private dining rooms, oyster bar, banquet hall/ballroom, barber shop, and beauty salon. At the time of its opening, the Hotel Manger had proportionately more marble than any other building in New England. [3] [5] The top floors offered views of the Charles River, Bunker Hill Monument, and Boston Harbor. [3] The hotel had direct access to the Boston Garden and North Station. [3] [5] George L. Bowles was the hotel's first manager. [6]

The hotel was formally opened on September 27, 1930. The reception was attended by over 200 guests, including Mayor James Michael Curley, Secretary of the Commonwealth Frederic W. Cook, and U.S. Representative John McCormack. Former Boston fire commissioner Theodore A. Glynn was the toastmaster for the event. [7]

From 1934 to 1936, radio station WMEX had its studio in the Hotel Manger. [8] [9]

Notable guests and incidents

Throughout its early years, acts that were performing at the Boston Garden, including Arthur Godfrey, Paul Whiteman, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers, stayed at the Hotel Manger. Visiting hockey and basketball teams playing at the Garden stayed at the hotel until they switched from rail to air travel. Track athletes participating at the BAA Meet, including Glenn Cunningham, Harrison Dillard, Charles Beetham, and Ralph Boston, also stayed at the Manger. [4]

On July 29, 1932, the Boston Police Department arrested 26 men they believed were involved in the pool and lottery racket. 25 of the 26 men were also charged with suspicion of knowledge of murder. [10] On March 13, 1935, the body of Sturgis H. Hunt, a Quincy, Massachusetts political figure who was a "missing witness" in the removal proceedings against Mayor Charles A. Ross, was found by a chambermaid. Hunt had committed suicide by drinking poison. [11]

On April 5, 1947, at the Boston Bruins annual breakup party, Bill Cowley unexpectedly announced he was leaving hockey because general manager Art Ross left him off of the roster for a post-season exhibition tour of Western Canada and the United States (Cowley's wife was from Vancouver and he wanted to use the trip as a honeymoon). At the time of his retirement, Cowley was the NHL's all-time leading point scorer. [12] On May 14, 1970, Bruins head coach Harry Sinden held a press conference at the hotel to announce he was leaving hockey to enter private business. His announcement came four days after the Bruins defeated the St. Louis Blues in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals. [13]

On October 25, 1949, the body of Leon G. Whittemore, head of a local chemical company, was found in a third-floor restroom. [14] The medical examiner ruled that Whittemore's death was a suicide by poisoning. [15] On April 1, 1950, the literary scholar F. O. Matthiessen committed suicide by jumping out of a 12th floor window. [16] [17]

On October 21, 1951, groundwork on the Central Artery resulted in the hotel losing its steam supply. The hotel used a steam locomotive to heat the hotel until service was restored. [18] On September 19, 1953, boxing trainer and manager Ray Arcel was critically injured in front of the hotel when he was hit from behind by an assailant wielding a lead pipe. The attack was a warning from the mob, who did not want Arcel to organize a competing television broadcast. The attack was never solved and Arcel remained out of boxing until 1972, when he came out of retirement to train Roberto Durán. [19] [20]

On September 12, 1964, The Beatles stayed at the hotel and held a press conference there. [21]

Ownership changes

The cleared West End around 1960, with Hotel Madison at right North Station and West End redevelopment aerial view.jpg
The cleared West End around 1960, with Hotel Madison at right

In 1958, the Boston and Maine Railroad began negotiations to purchase full ownership of the hotel. [22] The purchase was announced on January 30, 1959. The hotel was renamed as the Hotel Madison by B&M. Julius Manger Jr. stated that the reason for the sale was the company's desire to focus on its motel operations. [23]

In July 1963, B&M sold the hotel, the North Station Industrial Building, and about 17 acres of land behind North Station to Linnell & Cox. [24] Linnell & Cox soon sold the hotel to Dison Corp. for a reported $2 million amid threats that the city would take over the property because of tax defaults. [25] [26]

Closure and demolition

As railroad traffic declined, the neighborhood surrounding North Station lost its importance as a commuter center and the hotel began to suffer financially. [27] In 1973, Dison petitioned to convert the hotel into an elderly housing complex. The Boston Housing Authority supported the proposal and worked to get federal funding. The BHA also considered moving its headquarters to the hotel if the project was completed. [26] However, plans for the housing development fell through. [25] On October 21, 1976, it was announced that due to financial problems, the hotel would close on October 30. [25]

In March 1983, the Boston Redevelopment Authority purchased the hotel from the MSL Reality Trust for $2.2 million. On May 15, 1983, the hotel was demolished by explosives. An estimated 26,000 people observed the implosion, which was also televised live by WNEV. The hotel was demolished in order to make way for the construction of the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Federal Building. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Bruins</span> National Hockey League team in Massachusetts

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making them the third-oldest active team in the NHL, and the oldest in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie O'Ree</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1935)

Willie Eldon O'Ree is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player from Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is widely recognized for being the first black player in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing as a winger for the Boston Bruins. His accomplishment of breaking the black colour barrier in the NHL has led him to sometimes being referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of hockey," whom he had the chance to meet when he was younger. In 2018, O'Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and starting that year the NHL has introduced the annual Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in his honour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TD Garden</span> Multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts, United States

TD Garden is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is named after its sponsor, TD Bank, a subsidiary of the Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Ontario. It opened in 1995 as a replacement for the original Boston Garden and has been known as FleetCenter, and TD Banknorth Garden. The arena is located directly above the MBTA's North Station. It is the most visited sports and entertainment arena in New England, as nearly 3.5 million people visit the arena each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBZ (AM)</span> American radio station in Boston

WBZ is commercial AM radio station, licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, and owned and operated by iHeartMedia. Its studios and offices are located on Cabot Road in the Boston suburb of Medford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Garden</span> Indoor arena in Boston, Massachusetts, US between 1928–1997

The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by 30 years. It was above North Station, a train station which was originally a hub for the Boston and Maine Railroad and is now a hub for MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Sinden</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Harry James Sinden is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He served as a coach, general manager, and team president for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL), and was the coach of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders category. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in its inaugural class of 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEEI (AM)</span> Radio station in Boston

WEEI is a commercial sports gambling AM radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI is the Boston affiliate for the Audacy-owned BetQL Network and CBS Sports Radio, serving as a gambling-focused brand extension of its main sports radio station in the market, WEEI-FM. The WEEI studios are located in Boston's Brighton neighborhood, while the station transmitter resides in the Boston suburb of Needham. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WEEI is available online via Audacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tex Rickard</span> American sports promoter

George Lewis "Tex" Rickard was an American boxing promoter, founder of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and builder of the third incarnation of Madison Square Garden in New York City. During the 1920s, Tex Rickard was the leading promoter of the day, and he has been compared to P. T. Barnum and Don King. Sports journalist Frank Deford has written that Rickard "first recognized the potential of the star system." Rickard also operated several saloons, hotels, and casinos, all named Northern and located in Alaska, Nevada, and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthews Arena</span> Multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts

Matthews Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Cowley</span> Canadian ice hockey player

William Mailes "Cowboy" Cowley was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Eagles and Boston Bruins. Described as the Wayne Gretzky of his era, Cowley twice won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's MVP, and is widely regarded as one of the best playmakers in hockey history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMEX (AM)</span> Radio station in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States

WMEX is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Quincy, Massachusetts, and serving the Greater Boston media market. It is owned by L&J Media, headed by Tony LaGreca and Larry Justice. WMEX broadcasts an oldies radio format of hits from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, as well as full service features including local DJs, news, traffic and weather. Late nights and weekends, it uses the MeTV FM syndicated music service. The radio studios and offices are on Enterprise Drive in Marshfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEZE</span> Religious radio station in Boston

WEZE – branded 590 AM The Word – is a commercial Christian radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by Salem Communications, WEZE is the Boston affiliate for the Salem Radio Network. The WEZE studios are located in the Boston suburb of North Quincy, and the station transmitter resides in neighboring Medford. Besides a standard analog transmission, WEZE is available online.

Jeremy Maurice Jacobs Sr. is an American billionaire businessman, the owner of the Boston Bruins and chairman of Delaware North. Forbes magazine ranks him as 481st richest person in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike O'Connell</span> American ice hockey player, coach and executive

Michael Thomas O'Connell is an American former professional ice hockey player and general manager who currently serves as the Director of Pro Development for the Los Angeles Kings. He played 860 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season games between 1977 and 1990 and later served as the general manager of the Boston Bruins from 2000 until 2006. He is the son of former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Tommy O'Connell and brother of former World Hockey Association (WHA) player Tim O'Connell.

NHL on RKO General relates to a small, syndicated network of stations owned by RKO General which broadcast National Hockey League games.

The Boston Garden-Arena Corporation was an American corporation that oversaw the operations of the Boston Garden from 1934 to 1973. It was formed when the Boston Arena Corporation gained control of the Boston Garden from the Madison Square Garden Corporation in 1934. From 1946 to 1950 it owned the Boston Celtics. In 1951 it purchased controlling interest in the Boston Bruins from Weston Adams. In 1953 it sold the Boston Arena to Samuel M. Pinsly for $398,000. In 1973, the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation merged with Storer Broadcasting.

Homer Loring (1875-1939) was an American industrialist who served as chairman of the Boston & Maine Railroad from 1924 to 1928. He was known for reorganizing large industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Fitzgerald (journalist)</span> American sports journalist

Thomas Joseph Fitzgerald was an American sports journalist. He worked for The Boston Globe, reported regularly on the Boston Bruins for more than 30 years, and wrote as a golf correspondent for the Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open. He was the first president of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association and the first sportswriter to receive the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to ice hockey in the United States. He was a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee for ten years and was the first journalist to be chairman of the committee. His hockey journalism career was posthumously recognized with the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Manger Hotels was a major 20th-century national chain of luxury hotels, full service motor inns, and upscale motels. Originally founded in 1907 as a chain of luxury hotels by Julius and William Manger, the company shifted to extensive development of large strategically located motor inns and motels in the 1960s.

Russell Nye Cox was an American real-estate developer who owned the Boston Garden and developed industrial parks in Greater Boston. He later moved to New Hampshire and served two terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

References

  1. 1 2 "Contract Signed for 16-Story Hotel". The Boston Daily Globe. July 16, 1929.
  2. ↑ "Coliseum Will Top New Boston Station". The Boston Daily Globe. November 16, 1927.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Hotel Manger Opens Its Doors to the Public". The Boston Daily Globe. August 31, 1930.
  4. 1 2 Madden, Michael (May 15, 1983). "In the rubble of the Manger the memories will remain". The Boston Globe.
  5. 1 2 3 "New Hotel Manger Nearing Completion". The Boston Daily Globe. January 26, 1930.
  6. ↑ "George L. Bowles Welcomed Home". The Boston Daily Globe. September 3, 1930.
  7. ↑ "Conventions of the Year Here to Total 540". The Boston Daily Globe. September 28, 1930.
  8. ↑ Greene, Lloyd C (October 18, 1934). "WMEX Makes Its Debut". The Boston Daily Globe.
  9. ↑ "Station Dedicates New Brookline-Av Home". The Boston Daily Globe. April 6, 1936.
  10. ↑ "Lottery Ring Raid Nets 26". The Boston Daily Globe. July 30, 1932.
  11. ↑ "Sturgis H. Hunt Kills Himself in Hotel Here". The Boston Daily Globe. March 14, 1935.
  12. ↑ Ralby, Herb (April 6, 1957). "Ross Leaves Cowley Off Bruin Trip List; Draws Center's Ire". The Boston Daily Globe.
  13. ↑ Montvile, Leigh (May 15, 1970). "Bruins Coach Sinden Quits For Job Outside Hockey". The Boston Globe.
  14. ↑ "Probe Launched Into Death at Boston Hotel". The Boston Daily Globe. October 28, 1949.
  15. ↑ "Widow Asks Return of Jar, Spoon Found on Body of Husband". The Boston Daily Globe. November 29, 1950.
  16. ↑ Smith, Dinitia (May 29, 2003). "American Culture's Debt To Gay Sons of Harvard". The New York Times . Retrieved June 3, 2006.
  17. ↑ Steinberg, Jacques (June 3, 2009). "Harvard to Endow Chair in Gay Studies". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  18. ↑ Benzaquin, Paul (October 22, 1951). "Hotel Guests Warm and Clean, Thanks to Old Engine No. '29". The Boston Daily Globe.
  19. ↑ Kaplan, Michael (August 21, 2016). "Boxing ruined the life of Roberto Durán's trainer with a one-two punch". New York Post. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  20. ↑ Dewey, Donald (2012). Ray Arcel: A Boxing Biography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc.
  21. ↑ "The Hotel Manger/Madison". The West End Museum. The West End Museum. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  22. ↑ "B.&M. Negotiates For Full Ownership Of Hotel Manger". The Boston Daily Globe. October 10, 1958.
  23. ↑ "B&M Buys Hotel Manger, Changes Name to Madison". The Boston Daily Globe. January 31, 1959.
  24. ↑ McCarthy, Frederick (July 13, 1963). "B&M to Sell Madison, Office Building, 17 Acres". The Boston Globe.
  25. 1 2 3 Crimmin, Stephen F. (October 22, 1976). "Hotel Madison to close Oct. 30". The Boston Globe.
  26. 1 2 Yudis, Anthony J. (October 26, 1973). "BRA favors elderly housing at converted Hotel Madison". The Boston Globe.
  27. ↑ Rosenthal, Robert J. (November 1, 1976). "Its days of glamour are recalled, but Madison Hotel now a memory". The Boston Globe.
  28. ↑ Frisby, Michael K. (May 16, 1983). "In 9.7 Seconds, Hotel Madison was Gone". The Boston Globe.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.