The Wichita daily eagle., 1898-01-07
HIS g)ESlESS HOTEL
Cost Luther BeeCher Nearly a
Million Dollars.
OLD CRANK WITH CASH
Expended it as He Liked and
Let Folks Howl.


| heart Of Detroit's business section. has
| been closed for nearly generation. Older
residents remember when ii was the cen
ter of gayety, the fashionable headquar-
ters the hub about which the entire move
ment of the city revolved after nightfall
| To young men and women the name sug-
gests nothing attractive-merely dismal
square TO be avoided by pedestrians.
Committees of property owners have
| been formed TO try 10 effect a reopening
/ of the old hotel. They have urged that the
| progress of an entire section Of the city
had been retarded by the closing. The les
| see Of the building would accept no ad-
vice. He was paying the rent as it fell due
| each moth. keeping up the repairs and suit
| ing himself Year after year he continued
| the enormous expense. He was not wor-
| ried by the abuse that was showered up
| on him. He was eccentric, and he gloried
| in his eccentricities, which he had money
| enough to indulge.
He died and his heirs continued 10 pay
! the rent Negotiations were finally made
| for the purchase of the property: This
perty had been left by Mrs. Eliza Biddle
| to her grandchildren, her children enjoy
| in a life interest. a special bill was pas
| sed by the Michigan legislature to permit
| the transfer; there were foreclosure and
| partition suits. which were appealed, so
| that there could be no possible doubt OF
| the validity OF the title. The end is finally
| at hand. and within a few weeks the Bid
| die house will belong 10 the estate that
| has expended so much uselessiy for rent
! and taxes.
KEPT IN READINESS.
| There are 2I2 sleeping rooms in the hotel
! besides offices and parlors. The big build
| ing is kept completely furnished. the floors
are we'll carpeted. there are lace curtains
! in the windows, bedding and towels have
| been kept in the housekeeper's quarters
| il has had every requirement for a hotel,
| except guests.
| The rooms have been kept in this condi-
| ton all the years that the great hotel has
! stood tenantless by force of caretakers.
/ The stores. the hotel and the music hall
/ in the center ought to bring in. in good
times. at least $4,000 per annum. II would
| cost about S1OO. go to open the BiddIe house
as a first class hotel, with all the modern
| improvements. The rooms at the present
time are arranged to be heated by stoves
| and fire places.
! Luther Beecher's estate pays $1,000 per
| annum for rent, repairs and other Incl
| dental expenses. The rent loss TO the es-
| tate is $50, 900 a year. The total loss sus-
tained by the Beecher estate on the Biddle
| house property is estimated at Ss49. 1si.
HISTORY OF THE HOTEL.
On the site where the Biddle house now
| stands was erected the, first brick resi-
dence in Detroit. 1t was built by the first
! governor of the territory. Governor Hull.
| in 1907. In the fall of 1913 it was occupied
/ by General Harrison as headquarters 1t
/ was also occupied by General Macomb.
/ Afterward il was turned into a United
states registers office, and was eventually
| occupied by Zacharish Chandler. after
| ward senator from Michigan. as a dry
| goods store The Wales hotel followed on
! the site. The name of this hotel was
| changed 10 the American house before it
| was consumed by fire, May ., 1Sis. Wood
/ worths hotel, built in 1913 was burned at
| the same time, and for long while this
! part of the city was known as the burnt
! district
| This fire cleared the way for the erec-
| ton Of the Biddle house. I'm 1s49. on the
I grounds be longing 10 the estate of John
/ BiddIe In 1850 and 1861 a large addition
/ was built on the east side. and Young
| Mems hall was erected in the rear. The
| celebrated personages appeared there. in
| Guiding Horace Greeles'. Artemus Ward.
Edward Everett, Mark Twain. Henry
| Ward Reecher. and Adelina Patti.
| Lawrence Barrett is said TO have made
| his first appearance on any stage in this
| hall. acting as a super. John L. Sullivan.
now a leading actor, says the first dollar
! he ever made in the world was given him
| for distributing circulars for q lecture
| there by John b Cough
| Luther Beecher obtained 100 year lease
| from the Biddle estate on July 1, ISL He
was an advocate Of total abstinence. and
| a great deal Of his trouble with his Biddle
/ house tenants arose from his efforts 10 pre-
| vent the sale OF intoxicating liquors IN the
/ place.
| The Biddle house gave Beecher great no
| tOriety in his old aee- The big hotel, with
! every one of its 2I3 rooms furnished and
ready for a guest, standing Idle for years
| gave rise 10 all sorts OF idle speculation
( Many considered that Beecher was an OBJ
stacle n the way Of Detroit's progress.
{ Others who were nearer TO him declared
/ that ris action IN closing the Biddle house
I vas a noble example OF devotion 20 princi-
/ pie His vision was this: make the ho-
Z tel pay landlords had permitted them
/ bIers and sporting guests. until the BiddIe
house was known throughout the north
/ as resort for the more eenteel scoundrels
/ OF the country Games OF chance we're al
! lowed in the building, and IL vas the hot
/ bed OF vice A. a loss 10 himself he oustec
/ the deabuchaes and closed the hotel He
| refused 70 let the immense pile to any but
/ the best of tenants Such did not come
/ forward. and the house remained closed
RISE OF FORTUNE
! Luther Beecher was born Feb Is. ISIS.
! in Cheshire. Conn His father vas a mill
wright and mschinist- He went 70 work
/ az the axe OF years. A. J. he was work
I ing al the painting trade. he left that
/ occupation 70 20 into dry goods house.
and when the firm was burnt out. IN lSs7.
E he purchased q stock OF Yankee notions
I and went % Detroit He disposed of a por-
ton q his stock for Michigan wild cat
1 money. and proceeded 20 a place near
( Rcck Island. ii. He traded his Wild ca:
/ money ard the rest q the stock Cor a
Z farm. a ssvrniIl and other property AfteT
/ working there uztIl TIE next spring % In
T. prove his purchase. he found his health
/ broken and his money gone
Re returned % New York city ard got q
/ stock 0f goods on credit 20 tne value o.
( & 20. and went % Detroit He took ar
I active interest = the purchase and sale ot
I the Michigan Central railroad by TIE state
| IN 1s4s- he gave The land and furnished
!zC.s0o 20 establish the Detroit Bridge and
| Iron works Es made aS-eat success q
| the carpet business Ee Tzs To- sorze uzce
/ tie la-EeSt tax payer II the stzts-
his property was largely grp-o5activs
| and consisted "a branch railroads. tbs
! Nr--~.r---a f--- -cTrF-- nils Frr-~z -
! mines docks and river frD1ts- hotel pro