Simeon Leland

Last updated

Simeon Leland was a New York businessman and hotelier during the late 19th-century. He made his wealth while operating the Metropolitan Hotel located on fashionable Broadway in lower Manhattan. Opened in 1852 to cater to travelers and residents who wanted to enjoy luxuries like bathrooms, running water, elevators, and fine dining, the Metropolitan attracted many Southern businessmen and their families who often came to New York in the summer to escape the extreme heat of the South. [1]

Leland also began assembling an estate around this time, first purchasing a 40-acre property in New Rochelle overlooking Long Island Sound in 1848. Like many successful New York businessmen at that time, he took advantage of the railroads' development into the rural areas out of the city, carefully planning and designing a country residence for graceful and stylish living. [2] In 1855, he began the erection his palatial 60-room, Gothic mansion, "Castle View", which took almost five years to complete. [3] Just as he was famous for his well-run and fashionable Metropolitan Hotel, Leland's home became equally famous as he entertained there regularly.

New Yorkers were not enthusiastic backers of the American Civil War, knowing that it would adversely affect commerce and New York hotels in particular. As a way to offset his losses, Leland had leased and then purchased Davids Island near his New Rochelle home, purportedly for a hotel, but his financial reverses forced him to lease, and then sell the island to the US government in 1862, where a military hospital was established. [4]

In 1864, Simeon Leland and his brothers took over the management of the Union Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York, the popular spa and resort for wealthy and an American equivalent to the famous water spas of Europe. In their famous lavish style, they redecorated the hotel and hosted nightly entertainments, balls, and fireworks displays to entertain their hotel guests and others. Many Union generals and officers were entertained at the Union Hotel. Unfortunately, a combination of factors including over-investment in the hotel, and economic downturn in New York City due to the war, pushed the Leland brothers into bankruptcy following the Civil War. Leland died in 1872. [5] Castleview eventually became the College of St. Angela, the first Catholic women’s college in New York, which was the College of New Rochelle until 2019.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Rochelle, New York</span> City in Westchester County, New York

New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the 7th-largest city and 22nd-most populous municipality in New York. Some residents refer to the city as New Ro. A well-known destination within New Rochelle is "New Roc City," which has restaurants and entertainment venues.

A seaside resort is a city, town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the German Seebad. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resort</span> Self-contained commercial establishment which attempts to provide for most of a vacationers wants

A resort is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel is frequently a central feature of a resort and the term resort may be used for a hotel that provides an array of entertainment and recreational activities. Some resorts are also condominium complexes that are timeshares or owned fractionally or wholly owned condominium. A resort is not always a commercial establishment operated by a single company, but in the late 20th century, that sort of facility became more common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Boldt</span> American hotelier

George Charles Boldt Sr. was a Prussian-born American hotelier. A self-made millionaire, he influenced the development of the urban hotel as a civic social center and luxury destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Hawaiian Hotel</span> Hotel in Waikīkī, Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaii, USA

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is a beachfront luxury hotel located in Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. It is part of The Luxury Collection brand of Marriott International. One of the first hotels established in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian is considered one of the most luxurious and famous hotels in Hawaiian tourism and has hosted numerous celebrities and world dignitaries. The bright pink hue of its concrete stucco façade with its Spanish/Moorish styled architecture and prominent location on the wide sandy beach have earned it the alliterative nickname of "The Pink Palace of the Pacific".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of New Rochelle</span> Private Catholic college in New York, US

TheCollege of New Rochelle (CNR) was a private Catholic college with its main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded as the College of St. Angela by Mother Irene Gill, OSU of the Ursuline Order as the first Catholic women's college in New York in 1904. The name was changed to the College of New Rochelle in 1910. The college was composed of four schools and became co-educational in 2016. In early 2019, Mercy College and College of New Rochelle announced that College of New Rochelle would be absorbed into Mercy College before fall 2019, including College of New Rochelle's students, faculty, programs, and some facilities, as well as transcripts, history, and legacy of CNR alumni. Mercy College became the repository of CNR documents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hisarya, Bulgaria</span> Place in Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria

Hisarya is a small town and a major spa resort in Plovdiv Province, central Bulgaria. The town is located at the southern foothills of the Sredna Gora mountain range facing the Upper Thracian Plain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davids Island (New York)</span>

Davids Island is a 78-acre (320,000 m2) island off the coast of New Rochelle, New York, in Long Island Sound. Currently uninhabited, it was previously the site of Fort Slocum. The island is home to the endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle, and birds such as osprey and least terns. Davids Island also supports valuable wetlands, rare rocky intertidal areas, and sandy beaches. The waters surrounding the island are home to winter flounder, Atlantic herring, and Atlantic silverside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Algonquin Resort</span> Historic hotel in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada

The Algonquin Resort is a Canadian coastal resort hotel in the Tudor Revival style, located in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. An architectural icon of New Brunswick, the hotel is the most famous symbol of St. Andrews and one of the most photographed buildings in the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Union Hotel (Saratoga Springs, New York)</span>

The Grand Union Hotel was located on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, New York. The hotel began as a boarding house, built by Gideon Putnam in 1802, but grew into the world's largest hotel, before it was demolished in 1953.

Richard Albert Canfield was a prominent American businessman and art collector involved in illegal gambling throughout the northeastern United States during the late 19th and early 20th century. Known as the "Prince of Gamblers", Canfield was one of the earliest to develop the modern day "resort casino". The solitaire game Canfield is named in his honor.

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

The Metropolitan Hotel in Manhattan, New York City, opened September 1, 1852, and was demolished in 1895. It was built at a time of a "hotel boom" in response to the opening of the New York Crystal Palace exhibition of 1853.

Leland Castle is a building in New Rochelle, New York. It was constructed during the years in 1855 - 1859 in the Gothic Revival style, and was the country residence of Simeon Leland, a wealthy New York City hotel proprietor. Leland began to assemble an estate as early as 1848, and in 1855, began the erection of this palatial 60-room mansion. The home was designed by New York City architect William Thomas Beers. A north and south wing were added to the castle in 1899 and 1902 respectively.

Glen Island Park is a 105-acre (0.42 km2) waterfront park, located on Glen Island, on the Long Island Sound, New York. The park is owned and operated by Westchester County and shares the island with a privately operated but county-owned entertainment facility, the Glen Island Harbour Club. The Glen Island Casino was a springboard to success during the 1930s Big Band Era, including that of Ozzie Nelson, Charlie Barnet, Claude Thornhill, Les Brown, The Dorsey Brothers and Glenn Miller. Westchester County residency is required for parking and beach access.

New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. The town was settled by Huguenots in 1688 who fled France following their failed rebellions. Many of the settlers were wealthy merchants, artisans and craftsmen from the city of La Rochelle, France, thus influencing the choice of the name of "New Rochelle".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sans Souci Hotel (Ballston Spa)</span> Defunct hotel

The Sans Souci Hotel was a hotel located in Ballston Spa, Saratoga County, New York. It was built in 1803, closed as a hotel in 1849, and the building, used for other purposes, was torn down in 1887.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Residence Park (New Rochelle, New York)</span> American planned community established 1885

Residence Park is a historic community located in the city of New Rochelle, in Westchester County, New York. It is one of the first planned residential parks, and garden city communities, in the United States. It is located in the southern section of the city, bordered by Neptune Park on the west, Shore Road and Long Island Sound on the south, and Downtown New Rochelle on the north.

Autograph Collection is an American group of independent upper-upscale to luxury hotels within the Marriott International portfolio. The properties are independently owned and operated under the Autograph Collection name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Hotels of America</span> National Trust for Historic Preservation program

Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels in the United States that have maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity.

References

  1. ↑ Metropolitan Hotel (New York, N.Y.), & Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson,. (1855). Simeon Leland & Co. Metropolitan Hotel, New York ... Five o'clock ordinary. New York, Wednesday, March 14, 1855. New York: Rawden, Wright Hatch & Edson, New York.
  2. ↑ M. Justin McKiernan and L.E. Gobrecht (April 27, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: "Castle View" / Leland Castle" . Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  3. ↑ New Rochelle History-Nineteenth Century Archived 2004-11-26 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ From Farms to Resorts, Estates and Home to New Immigrants: New Rochelle in the 19th Century
  5. ↑ Obituary
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.