Hotel St. Denis

[David Sechrest]

The Hotel St. Denis was located on the southwest corner of 5th and Washington Sts. It later became Carpenter's Drugs sometime in the mid 1960's.

[RER]

A Brief Walk Back In Time On Washington Street
The Patrick H. McCormack Building 432 Washington Street
Reposted from the 1800s per David Sechrest's request

Top of St. Denis Hotel (Dome constructed after 1894 Fire)

Sometime after 1870 (maybe 1875) at the corner of 432 Washington Street the landscape changed. A man named Mr. Patrick H. McCormack would change the corner's history through this year of 2007. The actual location of his construction and contractor skills was at 5th and Washington Street corner.

Mr. McCormack during the late 1800s was a well known contractor and builder. He built his home at 724 Washington Street. But, his claim to fame is the building of the Bartholomew County Court House (1871-1874) and many of the brick buildings from 5th and Washington Street back toward 4th Street. His other accomplishments included building bridges, constructing buildings in other towns, and at one point he was a member of the Indiana General Assembly. A man of great skills, knowledge and talents that rewarded his family and the community for many years.

During those days of construction he built the St. Denis Hotel on the corner of 5th and Washington Street. Prior to that effort there were a few other hotels such as the Columbus Hotel, The Elm House and the Jones House. The first two being located back along Jackson Street, close to the Railroad Depot areas. Mr. McCormack did not build or own those hotels at that time.

Keep in mind that horse and wagons were the mostly used transportation mode during those days. In fact there was a livery stable built behind the St. Denis Hotel called the "Shea & Fahy" barn and livery stable. The hotel building was used primarily as a hotel even into the early 1950s. However, during the 1900s the Union Trust Company Bank bought most of the building, but the St. Denis Hotel still resided in the building many years. Special note is that a cigar store and a theater was housed inside the hotel reception first floor area.

Built After 1870

Note: The Crump Trolley cars were pulled by mules the 1890s in front of the St. Denis Hotel. The Trolley rail tracks are shown in the above picture. George reported that the St. Denis Hotel had one of the largest fires in Columbus history during 1894. Now, during that period they didn't have fire trucks. They used horse drawn wagons and passing of the buckets. The livery stable behind the hotel was destroyed according to George's writings as was horses and equipment.

Picture 1930

The last picture shows the St. Denis Hotel sign in smaller scale after the Union Trust Company with the famous clock. During the beginning of 1950s the Irwin Union Trust Bank was established North West corner of 5th and 500 Washington Street. This historical clock's disappearance is unknown, but was a center piece of beauty for many years growing up in Columbus. The top portion of the St. Denis Hotel was removed when the Union Trust Company bought into the building. Further, the top part of the building wasn't built on the original building construction. The top dome was constructed afte the first floor fire in the theater during 1894.

Sources: Columbus history, partial views of George's and David's postcards, major fire history as told by George within this web site, and brief knowledge and research about Mr. Patrick Henry McCormack. Knowledge of the Crump Trolley system, wheeled automobiles, cigar store, theater on 1st floor of hotel, livery stables and non arrival of the interurban train system until 1899. Business directories 1868 and 1953. Information data from 1890s, 1909 and 1917.

[RER]

Additional Review of the Patrick H. McCormack Building History (St. Denis Hotel building over 130 years of various occupants)
Location 432 Washington Street Columbus Indiana
Reposted from the 1800s per David Sechrest's request

Before the Crump Trolley Trains and after automobile advancements. First larger picture was during the horse and wagon days. The second bottom picture was during the late 1950s and 1960s.



St. Denis Hotel Above 1880 & 1930s

Carpenter Drug Store 1960s

Notice in the lower picture the Irwin Union & Trust Bank is pictured behind the old St. Denis Hotel building. . It is still a functional bank today this year of 2007 and the building updated.

Special Comment: Today the building is used by Countrywide Home Loans Inc at address 432 4th Street this year of 2007. This building has multiple addresses. Board member Babs worked as a clerk during high school at 436/438 Washinton Street which was the same building as the St. Denise Hotel on the corner.

Sources: The large pictures are David Sechrest's presented in various areas of the Columbus Historical Library site in partial views. They are presented here to provide additional insight to the historical building throughout the years. The smaller 1930s picture is partial of George's card.

[RER]

St. Denis Hotel After 1894 & Until Early 1900s
Corner of Washington and 5th Street

History Brief:
One: The St. Denis Hotel was originally built without the tower on top of the roof. After the hotel fire of 1894 the tower was installed and the metal fire escape coming down the side wall next to the Owl Cigar advertisement was also placed. There was cigar store inside the hotel.

Two: Look close at the overhead electrical lines on the street which means this picture was taken when the Francis Crump electrical trolley system was working. The tracks for the cars are in place also in the dirt street.

Three: The horse drawn stage coach is reflected in front of the hotel. Automobiles had not made the scene yet to supplement the stage coaches and electrical trolley systems.

Four: So it is very apparent that this picture was taken after 1894 and during the electrical trolley days. My father liked to smoke Owl Cigars.


Hotel built after 1870 (no tower)


Source of picture: Bartholomew County Directory 1903. The picture is a partial that has been enhanced, and enlarged for analysis and enjoyment.

[RER]

Stagecoach Pickup At St. Denis Hotel 1880s & Mule Pulling Trolley
Location was corner of 5th and Washington Street

History Brief:
A. The St. Denis Hotel is on the right with a stagecoach and horse parked in front. This picture is before the 1893 fire because the trolley system wasn't electrical yet. Notice the mule pulling the trolley on Washington Street.

B. Also at the top a haze figure of the Bartholomew County Court house is visible.

C. The street was dirt.

D. The hotel didn't have the more modern reception overhang roof shelter for the main entrance, meaning the picture is older.

E. Old Street light above trolley.
Dating guess 1880s


Source: A partial picture that was enhanced and enlarged to show the historical beauty of days of long ago. From a David Sechrest picture in the Historical Columbus Indiana site.

[RER]

Historical Sequence Pictures St. Denis Hotel
From Sometime After 1870 to 1950
Washington Street, Columbus Indiana



The top dome was built after the fire of 1894.

1928

Notice the Irwin Bank Clock time is different, a lady reading an ad in one picture. The vehicles look the same, so these vehicles may have belonged to bank employees.

1930

1950 View 1950



Comment: David had asked me a year or so back to try to bring the hotels history sequences together. This review spans almost 80 years, during which time Irwin Bank took part of the building. The pictures come from various publications, books, The CHS Log of 1928 and one from the local paper the Republic. The man sitting inside the hotel was a caption from the 1950 copyrighted photos posted in the website.

[RER]

St Denis Hotel Services/Businesses & Livery Stable
Corner’s of 5th & Washington St. & 5th & Jackson St.
Columbus, Indiana



Employee List By Trade: 1890s to Early 1900s


The Hotel Businesses & Staff Employees

Harry Whedon, Owner or Proprietor
James Atwill, Manager
Colom T. Woosley, Day Clerk @ Desk
Lewis Wadsworth, Night Clerk @ Desk
James J. Lash, Postal & Tel. Co.
Frank Enochs, Messenger Person
David Logan, Porter
Naoh Pyles, Porter
Daily Hern, Porter
Harry McCormak, Men's Clothering & Furnishings
James W. Vanhook, Cigar Stand
Harry Bell, Chef of Dining
Claude Fowler, Assistant Cook
Mattie Lesson, Dish Wash
John & McCalip Barber Shop
Joseph C. Hitchcock, Barber
Lew W. Thompson, Bar Mgr.
Benjamin Miller, Bartender
Louise Gresham, Waitress
Pearl Slusher, Waitress
Florence Piercefield, Waitress
Minnie Carson, Waitress
Hattie Lane, Waitress
Lizzie Woehman, Waitress


Livery Stable Behind Hotel Staff Employees

Richard E. Shea, Owner
Henry Fahy, Owner
Charles Hatfield, Sableman
Cleveland Rockwell, Stableman

Comment: The stable was destroyed by fire in 1894. The advertisemet below misspelled Mr. Fahy's name. All the research I have done related to the stables says the spelling was Fahy.








Pallas Theater (Opened 1875 closed 1894)

Floor Managers @ Opening Night:

J. G. Schwartzkopf
C. A. Hubbard
R. Thomas
John D. Lyle
B. B. Jones
William J. Lucas
John H. Rush
Henry C. Davie


Comment: The Pallas Theater in the St. Denis Hotel burned down during the 1894 fire. The fire started in the Livery Stable behind the hotel and worked its way into the hotel area.




Note: This list could be incomplete because some employees may not have listed their names and addresses in the source I used. Some board readers may indentify names that are familair, or even former family members.

[RER]

St. Denis Hotel After 1894

Brief: The top dome was placed after the fire of 1894. The picture doesn't show the side fire escape stairs that also was placed at a later date. On the left is a person riding a bike and it appears to be a newspaper delivery boy with a canvas sack drapped over his shoulder. It also appear that the railed trolley car was on track deep in the center of Washington Street near 4th Street.

[David Sechrest]

Bob, thanks for posting a history of the Hotel St. Denis. It is very informative, and brings me to this posting.

I want to add to your history, and ask a few questions, too.

This is my brief historical sketch of the southwest corner of Washington and Fifth Streets. At this point in time, I have more questions than answers. Once work on my book, Columbus Indiana’s Historic Crump Theatre, is wrapped up, I will pursue this topic in greater detail, and hopefully find the answers to some of my questions.

Originally, that corner lot was owned by Mrs. Young. McCormack & Sweeney, builders of our majestic Courthouse, secured the property in early 1875, and erected the Pallas Theater on that corner. The Pallas opened October 29, 1875. It was destroyed by an early morning fire on February 20, 1879.

With the destruction of the Pallas Theater, McCormack & Sweeney were undecided as to what they wanted to construct on that corner. They could not decide whether to rebuild the opera house, or erect a hotel on the site. During the rebuilding, and as late as May, 1880, it appeared that their intent was to rebuild the Pallas, as on May 12, 1880, five large iron beams were delivered from Haugh & Company out of Indianapolis, and were installed as floor supports for the opera house. But because of their indecision, work was moving slow. Six days after the iron supports were installed, they were taken out. The arrival of architectural drawings from Brown & Company, an Indianapolis architectural firm, announced to everyone that the Pallas would not be rebuilt. Instead, work commenced on the erection of a first-class, three story hotel for the city. The iron columns were put back in and raised a foot. They would become the supports for the hotel floor.

McCormack & Sweeney’s Saint Denis Hotel opened April 29, 1881. At the time, it was the finest hotel in southern Indiana. The hotel was named after patron Saint Denis, first bishop of Paris, who was beheaded by a Roman governor in 272. According to the story, St. Denis picked up his head after the decapitation, and walked through the city, preaching the gospel for forty-five minutes.

The main office was on the first floor, as was a billiard parlor and bar. Entrance to the St. Denis was on the Fifth Street side of the building. It was equipped with gas lighting fixtures, and an electric bell that was connected to all the rooms. The dining hall was located on the second floor, easily seating 100 people. Twenty-one rooms were available on the second floor. All rooms had a window for comfort. The third floor contained thirty-two rooms, and on each floor was a bath room. On opening night, guests came from Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, Louisville, and Cincinnati.


Basilica of St. Denis, Paris, France, constructed between 1135-1144 AD

At this point is where my questions start.

Since we know that the Hotel St. Denis was patterned along the lines of the Basilica of St. Denis, it would make perfect sense that the "cupola" at the top of the building was incorporated into its original design (and here is where my questions begin).

It appears that the St. Denis hotel was destroyed by fire in 1894 (I will verify this in the coming days). When it was rebuilt, the building (possibly?) lost that cupola part at the top.


The building we are concerned with here is the three story structure in the middle of this picture. While the caption reads "1880", this simply cannot be, given that the Hotel St. Denis did not open until April 29, 1881.


At some point in time, the cupola at the top of the Hotel St. Denis was added.


The cupola of the Hotel St. Denis can be seen in the background. It is not known what year this picture was taken. Best guess is, sometime after 1893, as J. S. Crump's Railway tracks can be seen running along the middle of Washington Street. Crump electrified the street cars in May, 1893 (note the electrical wires above the tracks)


Another early glimpse of the Hotel St. Denis. A horse and buggy can be seen at the left of the picture



Once again, this picture cannot be 1880, as the Hotel did not open until April, 1881. It is highly possible though, that it was taken shortly after its opening, and the original construction did not include that cupola at the top

By 1927, the Hotel St. Denis once again lost the cupola.


This picture of the Hotel St. Denis and Irwin Union Bank is dated 1927, and appeared in the 1927 CHS yearbook

So--where does all of this leave us? Did the original building have the cupola or not? If not, why was it added after it was destroyed by fire, and rebuilt?

I hope to find the answers to my questions.

Edit: I believe I have answered the first part of my question. After looking more closely at the downtown picture (dated 1880 in the caption), it had to have been taken before Crump's railway (before September, 1890), as I see no signs of trolley tracks on Washington Street. Those planks of wood that cross the street appear to be solid from one side of the street to the other.
Originally, I thought this particular picture might have been taken after the St. Denis fire. That doesn't seem to be the case, and by all indications, what we are seeing in the two pictures showing the St. Denis with a flat roof must be the way it looked before the fire.
Thus, the pictures (captioned 1880) must have been taken sometime between April, 1881 and September, 1890.
The cupola must have been incorporated into the design after the fire, and when it was rebuilt, then removed once again by the time the 1927 photo was taken.

[RER]

St. Denis Hotel

Picture 1903

Hi David:

Well, I see there are mixed documents that we both have read in the past about the St. Denis Hotel.  I find this amusing to discover that various documents seem to lead us in different thoughts and directions at times. However, the challenge of history research knowledge is the fun part. I guess we both were lead that the Pallas Theater was inside the Denis Hotel, but now that may be wrong. We know the Pallas opening was October 29, 1875. So, this means that the Pallas Theater was not within the St. Denis Hotel, because the hotel wasn't finished with construction until 1881. 

David said: "The Pallas Theater was destroyed by fire on the early morning of February 20, 1879."  From all my previous research the Dome or Cupola wasn't installed until after the fire of 1894. The fire of 1894 destroyed the second floor from what I had found before and board members George and Rickey commented about the fire of 1894. There may have been two fires. Patrick H. McCormack apparent "block owner" per the top picture above, may have teamed with the other gentlemen to erect the Pallas Theater then the hotel later, per you comments. I am starting to lean in the thought that there may have been two fires. The one you said during February 1879, and later the second floor damage during 1894.

Historical Comment By Ricky Berkey: According to volume 2 of the Bartholomew County History Book, the theater in the St Denis building was very upscale and called the "Pallas Theater". According to that account it burned in a fire earlier than the one in 1894 that started in the livery. The theater was never rebuilt after that first fire. NOTE: If in fact Volume 2 of the history book states that the Pallas Theater was in the Hotel, then either the history book is incorrect or your source about the burning down of the Pallas in 1875 is in error.

The top portion of the St. Denis Hotel was removed when the Union Trust Company bought into the building. Further, the top part of the building wasn't built on the original building construction. The top dome was constructed after the first floor fire in the theater during 1894.

I hope this falls into the real truth in the end of research. If I find something else to reinforce these thoughts I will post them. Gee David I don't know if this helps or not.


My Original Sources:

Columbus history, partial views of George's and David's postcards, major fire history as told by George within this web site, and brief knowledge and research about Mr. Patrick Henry McCormack. Knowledge of the Crump Trolley system, wheeled automobiles, cigar store, theater on 1st floor of hotel, livery stables and non arrival of the interurban train system until 1899. Business directories 1868 and 1953. Information data from 1890s, 1909 and 1917. The above picture was taken from the Bartholomew County, Indiana, 1903-1904 .

Bob(RER)

[David Sechrest]

Hi Bob. Thanks for the input.

My forthcoming book not only covers a history of the Crump Theatre, but a history of opera houses/theaters in Columbus prior to the opening of John Crump's Theatre on Third Street. This will be the first time this historic aspect has been examined in great detail.

To clarify a couple of points here, the Pallas Theater was never inside the St. Denis Hotel. The Pallas was constructed roughly six years before the St. Denis opened. Also, the Pallas was not a "stand alone" opera house. It was similar in style to Francis J. Crump's Opera House in that the actual opera hall was located on the second floor, and businesses occupied the first floor. Both the Pallas and Crump's offered four rooms for merchants. Both the Pallas and Crump's were destroyed by fire.

At the time of the Pallas fire, McCormack & Sweeney had insurance through nine different insurance companies. The insurance companies wanted M&S to rebuild the Pallas. Instead, they elected to put up a hotel (the St. Denis).

So, the timeline of events is:
October 29, 1875 -- the Pallas Theater is dedicated
February 20, 1879 -- the Pallas is destroyed by fire
April 29, 1881 -- McCormack & Sweeney open their St. Denis Hotel

I was under the impression that when the St. Denis was first built that it had that cupola addition at the top. Judging by the pictures already posted, that does not appear to be the case. The cupola must have been added after the St. Denis hotel fire.



One history book says the fire occurred in 1890. Another states it happened in 1894. I don't know when the fire occurred, but I will find out once my Crump Theatre book is put to rest.

I thought it was interesting that M&S named their hotel after St. Denis, and then, after the fire, rebuilt the hotel to take on a similar characteristic as the Basilica of St. Denis in Paris.

Now, I'm curious to see if I can locate any information regarding why, and when the cupola was removed for good.

[David Sechrest]

The truly sad thing regarding the Pallas Theater is, there are no pictures of it. I was so hoping to locate at least one picture, but there just aren't any.
I also got terribly excited when I learned that Friedgen & Donner, who owned a photography studio, set up their camera and took pictures of Francis J. Crump's Opera House the morning after it was destroyed by fire. Alas, none of those pictures exist today, either.

There was one death during the construction of the Pallas Theater. In August, 1875, Frank Uberroth, a local brick mason, was working at the top of the building. He accidentally stepped up on a row of freshly laid brick and fell some 40 feet to the sidewalk below. He died a half hour after the fall.
Morris Spinner came close to losing his life as well. In the same month, he fell from a scaffold, suffering a broken leg.

[RER]

Possible Mistaken St. Denis Information Source

Go here and scroll down to page 54:

books.google.com/books?id=3naoKEjFMswC&pg=PA54&dq=St.+Denis+fire+columbus+indiana&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NOkTUsLvNoz88QT32IHoCw&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=St.%20Denis%20fire%20columbus%20indiana&f=false

[richard]

The following information is from 1964. It was in the Looking Back feature in the May 29, 2014, edition of The Republic. The nearly 100 years old Hotel St. Denis at Fifth and Washington streets was closed. The 60 room hotel had been owned by Mr. And Mrs. Ray Marr Sr. since 1951.