The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-06-18

!
/ United ssates--Ola Bell. and Old Eagle
and Old swnn-G oddin's Tavern and Va
rious Uptown Houses. now Lost 20 Sigh
and TO Memory. Tee-History of the Build
ing or the Exohazse and OF the Ballard
Mistaken Loeations-The spotswood ant
When 10 was Burn,-The Old Allan Man
sion-Powhatan House, the Monumental
and Columbinn-The American Hotel
Facts and Figures Of OIden Times.
At the breaking out Of the war IN 1861
when Richmond claimed 70 have populs
ton Of 5000. she was liberally provided
with hotels, a. the list shows-yiz. The
spotswood Hotel, American Hotel, Er.
change Hotel. Ballard House, Columbian
Hotel. Monumental now It. Claire, Pow.
hatan House now Ford's). and -. Charles
Hotel, besides some minor but not incon-
siderable establishments ioT boarders.
The United states Hotel. at the corner Of
Main and Nineteenth streets, may have
been in operation also, but. IL 30, il was only
in feeble way. This hotel was erected by
Dr.. John Adams about 1917, and after
running more or less successfully Tor a
number Of years was converted into a
medical college. After the present medi-
cal college was erected the hotel was to
stored 10 its former uses. Later on II fell
into the hands Of the United states Bank
y part u IL assets, and was sold and
purchased by a committee % gentlemen.
who remodeiled and refurnished IL, called II
The UNITED STATES HOTEL,
and tried to make Of il 4 firs;-class fashion
able hotel, but with 4 small measure u sue
cess.
During the late war il was used a. a mill
itary hospital. and after the war il was 0c-
cupied by some large Baltimore wholesale
merchants. They held il for a year or two.
and then, after q period u disuse, il was
purchased and established as the Richmond
Institute for the education Of colored Bap-
tist ministers. II has been - successfully
managed by Or. CORY that il viii not be
long before the trustees viii be looking out
for a better location and gmpler quarters.
The Union Hotel, however, was pre-
ceded by the City Tavern. on the opposite
SIDE Of the street, and before that and i0r
years afterwards the Bird-in-Hand. at the
foot of Church Hill. offered is hospitality
to man and beast.
In the halcyon days u the oldest in
habitantr ShOckOe creek where il passes
Main street was not crossed by an arch as
now, but by long bridge for foot-passen-
rrrs. while vehicle. and horses fOrded the
stream. Later there was . bridge Tor pc
destrians and vehicles too. 1T the west
end % this bridge was another famous
establishment
TIE BELL TATETN,
20 named not because Of any connection
with bellies and beaux. or dinner bells, but
after IL proprietor. Somewhere about
1875 or 80 the old Bell was pulled down by
Messrs. Benjamin Davis and Michael Hart,
and the present Il. Charles erected on IL
site. That was then the very centre Of
business and the mart OF thriving trade.
The Charles. too. became a Confederate
hospital during the war. when there was
but a limited demand for hotel accOmmo-
dations and 4 vast one FOR suitable hospital
buildings 10 accommodate the sick and
wounded brought from General Lee'-
army. II war service over, the II. Charles
was reftted and put back into IL old busi-
ness.
TIE EAGLE HOTEL,
long the boast q Richmond, was on the
souihside - Main street between Twelfth
and Thirteenth. and i we are % believe
one tenth y what j. said in IL praise. Il
must hay- been one u the most ,uper1iy
kept establishments in the land. Major
Hallam. IN queue and knee-breeches. was
it. proprietor. Here in 1924 the ball in
honor Oi Lafayette was given. and - no
apartment in the city was sufficiently capa-
ciOus "the entire area embraced in tie
quadrangle formed ly the surrounding
buildings and galleries - the Eagle Hotel.
space q about 5000 square feet, was
foored over and covered with awnings
and flags 20 form . ballroom. and large as
Was the space i was well filed
The Eagle was DESTROYED by fire about
lsSs. and IL glOrics long survived IN The
memory oi the public. and the name A.
tached 10 the square until the close ~ the
war. N0w-a-day- elderly folks sometimes
Speak % Eagle square. bat the average
Richmonder has but a dim idea oi the spot
30 designated.
Near about where the state Bank Of TO-
day is the
GLOBE TAVERN
Of the long ago stood. II was first Mrs.
Gubert's COfee-HOuse then the Union. and
then the Globe. and then i deecnerated
into a mere snack-house, and closed IL e.
reer 20 make way FOR the store u Kent,
Paine & Co.. built by Henry EXall. Esq.
Two doors below the Globe was Lynch's
C0hee-H House and Reading-RO0m, great
resort for politicians and stockholders.
The demand for a first-clas- hotel 20 I'M
pressed the enterprlsing merchants Of our
city. after the loss Of the Eagle. that in 1870
they resolved Richmond should no longer
be lacking in this respect. With a spirit
which finds no repetition in this day, they
organized a company, raised the necessary
money. and proceeded 70 select a site.
At that time Byrd's warehouse, a one
story dilapidated structure. covered the
ground corner q Fourteenth and Frank
link streets. II belonged 10 Mr.. Nicholas
Mills, and he offered il 20 the company on
a ground-rent and took stock too. Be-
cause they were thus enabled % secure the
lot without great expenditure Of cash. and
because % is proximity 70 Pearl street,
then the great centre oi business, the COM
pany adopted that site and the present
EXCHANGE HOTEL
was built. The architect was Mr. Rogers.
a man II great reputation, who planned
the fremont House in Boston, the Mer-
chants Exchange in New York, and Il.
Paurs church here. lts arrangement il
first-rafe, it has ALWAYS been well kept, and
It's appearance would be excellent were il
more adyantageously located.
For many years the Richmond pOst-Ofiice
occupied large portion Of the tirst story
fronting oil Fourteenth street. and the
- -nfff.a - fha4af,h 1tt,.v,aA 1.xl
being painted over, is yet 10 be seen on one
Of the granite facings.
Mr.. John Z. Ballard, prince Of hotel