Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-27
Hotels Ancient and Modern.


Hotels Ancient and Modern.
Nothing illustrates the luxury OF our
modern life better than our hotels. III
IS "a far cry" from the inn where Snake
speare and his registering companions
,.took their ease" TO hotel of the
present day. Then the Traveller VINO
was not good walker went from place
20 place on horseback. Later, stages
came into vogue. and mime host OF all
that time advertised Accommodations
for man and beast" The horses needed
good feed and good stabling. and men
and women asked little more.
Hundreds OF these inns survive to the
present day in out-of-the-way corners OF
Europe. There is usually an arched gate
way, into which the carriage or bus
drives. and on one side of 1t Is the
dining room, and on the other the tap
room and office. while, on the upper
floor are found the curious little cham
bers. where the guests are invited to
sleep. and where the candle Is found
ready for lighting when he wishes to re-
tire.
These inns satisfy ones craving FOR
the antique and picturesque. and there Is
n deal of solid comfort about them;
but they no more meet the demands or
this age than does the slow-moving and
cumbersome stage-coach.
After the inn came the tavern. which
was an enlargement of the inn.
nothing more. There were famous tav-
ems here in Richmond in the olden
time. The st. Charles Hotel site was
the location of one Of the earliest Of
these. First 1t was called Bowler's
Tavern, then the Bell Tavern. and then
the st. Charles Hotel-a new and much
better building coming upon the
scene with each change of name. And
then there was the Swan Tavern, the
buildings of which. divided into various
stores and dwellings, occupy the lot at
the northwest corne~ OF Broad and Ninth
streets. The present st. Claire. or, at
least, a part of it, was the Washington
Tavern, and II dates back almost TO the
days Of the Revolution. What Is more,
IL has been In continuous Use for hotei
purposes ever since il was built, except
ing few years OF the war. when IL
was leased by the Confederate Govern
mcnt. and was used as Offices for one
OF its departments. Goddin's Tavern, on
Brook avenue near Bacon Quarter
Branch, still stands. and. We believe. Is
still used more or less as hosiery. but
Il cannot lay claim to any such antiquity
as the Swan or the st. Claire. or FAR
"up town hotels here, Brackets Tavern
was the forerunner, but 1t was never
much of q success. 1t declined steadily
with the decadence of bell-team trans
portation over the mountain roads. II
was finally cut into dwelling-houses and
stores. and so remained until II was
RACED, to make way for the block of new
stores which now ornament the south
side Of Broad street between First and
Second.
When Lafayette visited Richmond, in
1924, the Jefferson Of that day was the
Eagle Tavern, which stood on the south
side OF Main street. between Twelfth and
Thirteenth. 1t had its archway or porte
cochere," into which many stages OF
many lines drove and landed their
passengers. The Eagle had n great repu-
tation far and wide. But about 1910 II
was destroyed by fire, and for some years
afterwards Richmonders deliberated wha,
they should do about rebuilding II. In the
end, the Exchange became its successor,
but upon a different site. Later the rival
OF the Exchange. the Ballard House.
arose on the opposite side OF the street.
=. Meanwhile Richmond had two other very
good notes.-the Columbian and the
American. The Columbian faced Shockoe
Slip on the site Of what is now Cren-
shaw's tobacco warehouse. and the
American stood on the square now occu-
pied by Saks a Co.'S store. Both OF these
hotels went down In the great fire OF
evacuation-day. April Q. 1895. and were
never rebuilt. Still another old Richmond
hosteiry was the Powhatan House, az
forwards known. az enlarged. az Fords
Hotel
About 1859 the spotswooi Hotel was
erected at the southeast corner Of Main
ana Eighth streets. and from the begin.
ming did q fne business. We believe that
IL was one Of the few hotels in Rich
mond that kept open all during the war,
Those were hard times for hotel.keepers
1t was with exceeding difficulty that they
could keep out Of the army. Next the
travellers. excepting miiitary-men, were
few in number. and the military.men
~ rule. had not the money wherewith
20 pay hotei-bills. Furthermore. all sorts
OF food was scarce and high. particular,
during the last year of the war. Sugar
aud coffee were classed among the luxu.
~ And AT onA TINA saJt Was worth