The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-17
LIONBERGER TO BUILD HOTEL
on OLD CITY HOSPITAL SITE.
Construction of Big Hostelry at Seventeenth and Pine Streets Will
Be Delayed for a Year-New Y ork Trust Company to Handle
Buckingham Hotel Bonds-Chicago Contractor to Build
a Series of Handsome Hotels Here at Once
Agents Reports.

Isaac H. Lionberger yesterday purchased
through the Mercantile Trust Company the
present City Hospital site, lot 324x23 feet,
bundled by Seventeenth. Eighteenth. Pine
and Chestnut streets, for $50 goo. with the
avowed intention Of erecting a big hotel.
The city's lease on the property still has
q year to run. and for that reason construc-
ton Of the hotel will not be begun until
after the Worlds Fair opens.
Il propose to erect the hotel.' said Mr..
Lionberger last night. provided the city
makes certain improvements on the streets
surrounding tha site.
while 1 regret that conditions are such
as to prevent the building Of the hotel be-
> fore the Exposition opens. I am convinced
that a 1rst-class house will be needed in
the vicinity Of Union Station later. st.
Louis's natural growth is both rapid and
substantial"
Real estate agents regard Mr. L.onberge-
as one OF the ablest, clearest-headed and
most successful operators in the local realty
market. By some. he is considered extreme
ly conservative. but the majority say that
his conservatism is that of the well-posted
Investor. and that when the occasion war
rants 1t he is most aggressive. In the up
building Of ST. Louis he is progressive, al
ways.
That Mr.. Lionberger believes st. Louis
needs more hotels. even after the Fair, and
= the eo fast dS that he is planning to provide a
years. carries much weight with realty
, ,.ras Inc sue he ma selected for a
very best ast'f in the Is c .issaf'e' as one OF the
Only a block from Union Station, und
situated upon an eminence, the City Hos
pr1a, property soy th has ,. been sought by hotel 31,eel
lot covers an entire block. and the pos
sibilities of a notable building are borne in
mind by the purchaser.
For the next year the city will continue
to pay 1900 a month for the use of the
property. yielding Mr.. Lionberger a fair
revenue on the Investment. 1t was sold by
the Eighteenth Street Realty Company,
and was formerly used as the House Of the
Good Shepherd. and owned by the sisters
An official of the Mercantile Trust Com
pany stated yesterday that it was not an
outright sale. though it was In effect, being
the sale OF over nine-tenths interest IN the
property which was acquired by Mr.. Lion
berger. The title will soon be transferred.
BUCKINGHAM HOTEL.
"A telegram was received yesterday by
Joseph A. Duffy and his associates. an
nouncing that the International Bank and
Trust Company of New York would place
100000 Of bonds for the proposed Buck
Pine boulevard.
OF the 100000. It was stated, Fuller &
Co., the largest firm of contractors in
go ahead with the work. guaranteeinE to
complete the hotel before the Exposition
CHI "CdNCIp llGld6Sl VI lHo PlanIeTS
has a lease on the proposed Buckingham
Hotel. and believes that 1t will be built
within a year. A definite announcement is
HoRNE's HOTEL PLANS.
Thomas A. Horne, a Chicago contractor
and formerly building superintendent of
Armour G. Co., has on his own account be-
s Toom Inc hotels eIec IN St. OF LOUIS q ser, escS on st tpU and 20 20
be of the highest class to be found any
where in America
NJ. - a.
ital behind him, most Of It coming from
Chicago capitalists, who realize tha St.
Louis is greatly in need of hotels, especial
~ before the Worlds Fair period.
Mr.. Horne's associates also are convinced
Of the fact that the steady. natural growth
Of st; Louis is extraordinarily great at
development of the Southwest, and Of ali
the territory for which this city is the COM
mercial supply point.
For this reason they believe that the
growth Of 81. Louis on a solid basis before
the Exposition shall have closed will make
investments in the right kind of hotels.
investment.
The hotels Mr.. Horne proposes to erect
are to he comparatively small. though when
his plans are carried out the aggregate ca
pacity is to be equal to at least two hotels
Of the size of the Planters or Southern.
Several smaller hotels rather than one or
two large ones are preferred by the con-
tractor for several reasons. 1t Is less diff
cult to secure attractive sites: the various
lOcauonS may appeal TO various customers
who would favor one neighborhood rather
than another. all being situated In the resi-
dence part of the city, and for the adj
be completed quickly or in good time for
the opening Of the Fair.
TO BE BUILT AT ONCE.
In addition to the $500. 600 hotel at Twelfth
and Locust streets. the Hamilton. >aaNn-
ilton and Newstead avenues. and other large
hostelries now under construction, a list
of which was printed in The Republic re-
Gently, 1t seems that the prospects for
building large hotels in time for the Elk
position period are slim.
Isaac H. Lionberger recently had plans
drawn for a 300-room hotel on Eighteenth
street.
The negotiations fell through for the rea-
son that MI. Licnberger was unable to find
a contractor who would guarantee to COM
plete a large building within twelve months.
He also found that the wages demanded by
laborers and the price Of. material. where It
quantities within a certain specified time,
made the cost fully 30 per cent higher than
1t would be under normal conditions.
These disadvantages, 1t Is said, do not
apply SO strongly to contracts for smaller
buildings, and for that reason II Is believed
that an adequate number of small perma-
nent hotels OF the best class may be erect
ed before the Fair opens.
The first hotel for which Thomas A. Horne
OF Chicago has purchased the lot and pre-
pared to go ahead with construction at
5nce wiila be erected on the south side of
Washington boulevard. Immediately west
only four stories. at which
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