News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-04-28
ssThe Randall
Its Formal Opening on Wednesday Evening,
April 10th, 1892.

Somewhere about sixty years ago
in 1881 or 32-Col. Herrick came
to Morrisville from Stowe and bought
a little old-fashioned house and lot
at the corner of our present Congress
and Main streets. The house was
moved back and quite a commodious
- onel, who con-
| -finned TO keep cavern for several
years and until the property was
bought in 1S47 by Judge West and
his son, A. w. West. The new pro-
| prietors made several improvements
{ in the buildings and conducted d sue
| cessful business until they were burned
out in December 1850. With the
[ opening of spring of 1851 work be-
gun on new building, which was
erected that season by the Vests.
| Business WAS continued by them for
a time, when they sold out and the
house passed through varied eX-
perience, with numerous changes in
owners, until April of 1880 when it
was burned to the ground. The
grounds were left vacant for some
time, when the fall of 1884 found the
skating rink building there, which
was erected by l.. B. Boynton. In
1886 the building was remodeled and
occupied as a hotel by Mr.. BOyntOn
and had been used as such until the
fall of 1891, when DR.. David Randall
and his son, Carroll F., of Hyde Park
came here and purchased the building
and lot. In October the old house
was moved south on Congress street
and the erection of large front on
Main street was begun.
The Messrs. Randall had had a
long experience in the business, and
being ready and willing to make this
addition to our village, they were as
sisted in quite substantial manner
by our public-spirited citizens. Mr..
A. H. Manly of Enosburgh took the
building contract and work was
pushe1 as rapidly as possible through
the winter, and to-day finds the hand
some structure standing on the same
old grounds The frontage on Main
street is 100 feet and 100 feet on Con-
gress street.-the wide airy piazzas
making a very pleasant promenade.
The tower has an elevation of six
stories with a fine view of the sur
rounding country. The office, one of
the most attractive in the state, is
located on the first floor on the tower
corner. 1t has handsome marble
floor, a large fire place and attractive
steel ceiling, as has the large dining
hall, which will seat So persons. The
house has fifty sleeping rooms, is
supplied with bath rooms and steam
heated throughout. Electric cali
bells are connected with every room.
A reception room at the rear of the
office and an elegantly furnished par
lor over the office add to the comfort
of the guests. E. S. Robinson's ele
gantly equipped hair dressing room
opens out of the office and the cloth
ing store of o. M. Waterman, the
dry goods store of G. K. Currier and
shoe store of E. D. Eldred occupy the
remainder of the Main street first
floor front.
On Wednesday evening April 20,
the house was formally opened under
the auspices of the Morrisville I'M
provement AssOciation-the event be-
ing in the nature OF q benefit for the
house and the proprietors, and a
general social time. The house was
lighted from tower top to basement
and that the two hundred people
from this town, Hyde Park and j Ohm
son enjoyed one of the most success
full social events in their remembrance
seems to be the verdict of all. Mr.
Geo. III. Gilmore with his orchestra
added much to the delightful evening
by the rendering of numerous selec-
lions in the reception room. Agenu-
inc feeling of congratulatiOn and gen
eral merry making seemed to prevail
and with the exception of the disap-
pointment in not having the expected
speech making-the affair was an I'M
qualified success. OF the tables, words
of praise were heard on all sides; the
banquet was indeed feast, the tables
being loaded and crowded with del
icacies, testifying again to Mr.. Ran
dalls ability to provide for the inner
man with such marked success. AS
has been SAID, much regret was mani
tested because of the lack of an oppOr-
tunity for the expected remarks from
several of our citizens who were
present, but with the seating capacity
of the dining hall and two hundred or
more to partake of the banquet the
! hour seemed too late to make it ad-
visable to prOlong the program. The
| Randall is now well on the start for
what we can hNY~edict shall be a
successful career, and the fact that
such house for the better accommo-
dation of the public seems to be fully
appreciated by our citizens. So
as we leave these scenes of good cheer
we would say: "Here's success to
! The RANDALL"