On Thursday, May 11th, another devastating fire took place in downtown Gibson City. This time it was on the West side of Sangamon Avenue and 9th Street in the building originally built in 1887 by Moses Thorp Burwell. It was aptly named, the Burwell House Hotel. Two other downtown buildings were damaged as well.
Both Derrick Babbs, from The Ford County, Illinois Heritage, and Will Brumleve from Ford County Chronicle have done an excellent job of recapping the history of this building (and the other two buildings impacted by the fire). Rather than focus on the history of the building and the occupants who have resided there, I would like to focus on the building itself, the details that went into it, and the impacts to the town by having a hotel.
Moses Burwell decided to build a hotel in 1887, in fact, from articles I have read he was considering a hotel for many years prior to this. I have to think that his Opera House had something to do with this plan. He was having out of town lecturers, entertainers, and traveling troupes perform at the Opera House. Visitors from out of town were coming to see these shows, lectures, and events. Those actors, musicians, and visitors needed a place to stay overnight. So, a hotel across the street from the Opera House seemed like a perfect solution. And, let's face it, Mr. Burwell was a smart businessman. He saw a need and fulfilled it. And, probably made a lot of money in the process.
We know from the article published by the Weekly Pantagraph in August of 1887 (attached above) that the hotel was very elaborate and luxurious. It was a 26' x 160' 2 story brick building, with a basement. The front faced Sangamon Avenue, with the main entrance facing 9th Street (known as 2nd street at the time it was built, before the streets were re-numbered). It was built with all modern conveniences that would be expected of a first-class hotel.
Guests would enter thru the main office on the first floor on the very east end of the building. They were greeted by the hotel clerk, Mr. Frank Mears. After checking in, they would ascend to their sleeping room thru the grand staircase to the second floor. Boy, do I wish I had a picture of that grand staircase (or any interior pictures of the hotel, for that matter). I'm sure it was quite the statement piece!
There was a large dining room to the west of the hotel office. I haven't been able to find out if it was open to the public, as well as guests, or who the chef was, but it appears the dining room was just as elaborate as the rest of the hotel. The kitchen was located in the basement of the building, so there was a dumbwaiter system put in to transport food from the basement up to the first-floor dining room. How cool!
The sleeping rooms upstairs were all ample in space and elegantly furnished. The article states that S.L. Harnit made all the furniture for the hotel rooms. Remember him? He had the furniture store in the south room of the Burwell Building. There were two parlors upstairs - one on the west end and one on the east end. The parlors and sleeping rooms were all carpeted with expensive Brussels carpet. All of the mantels in the hotel were made of marble. It appears no expense was spared in the new Burwell House Hotel.
The hotel was also built with safety in mind...particularly fire safety. Mr. Burwell had already had one building burn to the ground in 1883 (the original wood Burwell Building), so he knew that if he was to build a hotel with the intent to house out of town guests, that he needed to provide them with plenty of exit routes. The article mentions "There are three exit stairways from above, which would prove admirable in case of fire; the one spoken of (the grand staircase), one on the outside leading to the rear and one leading to the front on Sangamon Avenue
The article also mentions a very large veranda. The article states "the hallway above opens out onto a large veranda, 80 ft wide by 12 ft long. This is supported by iron columns and is safe for the accommodation of a large crowd of people." Another article states that 100 people would fit on the veranda. What?! I have not seen any pictures of this veranda, so I believe it might have been located on the south side of the building. If any of you have any pictures or more information to share on this veranda, please share!
The basement contained not only the kitchen, but the coal room, a 'bath house', a sampling room (more on this later), laundry, and a barber shop. Mark Anthony, who I believe was one of the town's first African American businessman, ran the barber shop and bath house. I found an advertisement for his barber shop/bath house in the Gibson City Courier. I had never heard of a 'tonsorial palace' before, so of course I turned to google to see what it could tell me. "A tonsorial parlor is an inner sanctum where a man can receive the highest level of barbering services in a setting that compliments this ancient art.
The word barber is derived from the Latin word “barba”, which means beard, and the word Tonsorial translates to cutting, clipping or trimming of hair with shears or razors. The tonsorial concept dates back to Roman Times when Roman Tonsures ran shops that were favored by high society. Barbers of former times were also surgeons and dentist, call barber surgeons. Hence the barber pole’s red and white spiral indicating the two crafts. A master barber during the 18th century would render what is now considered old fashioned skilled services such as the wet shave." Wow! When knew that this was the origin of the iconic red and white striped barber pole? I wonder if M. Anthony & Sons had a red and white barber pole? How cool what that have been?
The article tells that the barber shop and bath houses were just as elaborate and luxurious as the rest of the hotel. "The basement is occupied with barber shop and bath room, presided over by Mark Anthony, one of the first settlers of our city, who will be pleased to give hot and cold baths, and attend to the shaving and hair dressing of the guests and the public, his rooms are furnished with open grates, as are nearly all the rooms in the house, being finished in marble, something not usually found in hotels, and something that will be appreciated by the guests." Wow...marble floors? But, cold baths? Really?
You might also be asking, what is a sampling room? I wasn't sure, so again I turned to google to help me. A sampling room is a hotel room in which salespeople display merchandise for the inspection of buyers for retail stores. So, M.T. Burwell was so in tune with the needs of Gibson City retailers that he provided a room solely for out of town salespeople to display their goods for the retailers to inspect. He knew that if the retailers were successful (not only would they be able to pay their rent to him), that the town would continue to attract out of town guests and not only would his hotel prosper, but Gibson would continue to grow as well.
S.L. Harnit wasn't the only local craftsman employed to help finish the building. "The Gibson Iron Works made the door approaches, railings, and over a ton of window weights; D. P. Huffman made the excellent job of plastering; in fact, nearly all the work has been done by our own numerous mechanics and has been well done. S. A. Armstrong and John Curtis deserve special mention for artistically finishing the papering and painting."
The grand opening of the hotel was quite an event. So much so that an entire committee handled all the details from the invitation list, to the meal, down to the entertainment provided. "The affair was under the management of two committees who did their utmost to render the entertainment the finest that Gibson City has seen in many a long year." There was a reception committee as well as a music and entertainment committee. "Over 400 invitations were issued and many of the guests from out of town arrived on early trains and were handsomely entertained throughout the day by Mr. M.T. Burwell. The banquet commenced at 5 o'clock and later music and dancing were enjoyed. Mr. Burwell's fine opera house was thrown open to the guests."
So, there you have it. A brief history of the building of the Burwell Hotel, the people who were involved with it, and the party they threw afterwards to celebrate it's opening. What a wonderful reason to throw a party!!
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NOTE: The Gibson City Restoration Association is saddened by the fire that destroyed not only the Burwell Hotel, but the two adjoining building as well. We are so happy that no one was seriously hurt during the fire and our hearts go out to those displaced by the fire. If the owners of those buildings would like assistance from us in helping to determine if stabilization of the buildings is cheaper than demolition, please reach out to us. You can contact us thru our Facebook page or by emailing GCRestorationAssociation@gmail.com. We have connections with historical preservation groups who could assist you in determining the best next steps for these structures. I know many feel that these structures should just be torn down...but after reading how well the hotel was built my heart breaks knowing it may all end up in a pile of rubble.
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