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.