The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-28
BOUGHT MORE
kE0KUK GROUND
Christian and Hedriok Buy the pooI.
ey Property Adjoining Their
Present Premises on
Blondeau Street.
HAVE $50 FOOT FRONT
Had Brought an Architect With Them
and Expected to Begin the Build.
Ing Of s125,ooo Mod.
ern Hotel.

George M. Christian and Howard
Hedrick, hotel operators, who arrived
In Keokuk Friday prepared to build a
$4,000 hotel on their ground at the
corner of Blondeau and Fourth
streets, left for Des Moines Saturday
afternoon. after abandoning their ho-
tel plans, due to the prospect of the
River View hotel becoming an early
certainty. Before leaving they pur-
chased the VIM. Dooley property ad-
joining their present real estate on
Blondeau street, which gives them a
Blondeau street frontage of $50 feet
with a depth of 14O feet. Should the
| time arrive in the future when they
deem it profitable to build a hotel
they will have ample ground in one
of the best locations in the city. Mr..
| Christian stated that he had invested
$4,000 in Keokuk real estate within
the past year, which evidences his
faith in the future of the city. He
was disappointed in not being justified
in going ahead with his proposed hotel
/ plans but the view he takes of TIE
situation is that at present with the
River View hotel realization two
first-class hotels would not be profru
able. for the present at least.
Had Architect With Them.
1 Messrs. Christian and Hedricl
brought with them from Des Moine'
H, Z. Stevens, a Chicago architect
h who had the plans for the Keokul
plant as proposed by them Mr.. Stew
ems Is the architect for the New Mar
tina, a 400 room hotel now being erec
ted in Sioux City; he has just com
pleted the Andrews, a $50 room hote
in Minneapolis; he built the Randolph
in Des Moines and the Brown flats 9
lao rooms, also Des Moines strut
ture. Messrs. Christian and Hedric
felt confident in Stevens ability
I arrange the kind of hotel they wan
ed and the plans as prepared wer
for a modern hosiery. The Des Moi
! es hotel men last Saturday in con
pany with their local attorney, w.
Howell, took trip over the waite
power and were interested in the prt
gress made. Christian and Hedric
are probably the largest out-of-tow
investors in Keokuk real estate sine
the water power enterprise starte
They believe Keokuk has a gre;
future.
May Build Later.
Late Saturday afternoon Messl
Christian and Hedrick said that shoul
the River View hotel fail to materia
ize they would be glad to build Il
hotel they contemplated and that
the future should commercial conc
tions justify they would build anoth'
hotel in this city. Mr.. Hedr'ek sa
that they had been ready for a vel
and half to build a hotel in Keok,
and had come to this city this tin
prepared to throw dirt immediatel
The arrangement with their archite
was to have the hotel completed
the first of January, 1918, and reat
for use February first. He thong
THAT with the conventions coming
Keokuk immediate work upon col
u modious and modern hotel was esse
= tial and that his company would ha
-lbeen pleased to have been the one
lgive this city it's first up-to-date NJ
telery. He said his people were w
pleased with Keokuk. had nice bu
ness and liked the city and believed
its future. They expected to rema
in the hotel business here and VOL
build at some future time when C
ditions were changed so as to just
IAN additional hotel investment asi
from the River View plant. Christi
and Hedrick left for their home in [
lMoines Saturday afternoon.
The River View Hotel.
Further investigation into the Ri
View hotel project makes 1t nj
certain that work will begin on
proposition within very few wee
and when started it will be pushed
completion as rapidly as possis
The feeling that this hotel will
come in a very short time good
yestment is gaining ground. Certs
" IT will be one of the finest vie
ms c+,tao and III IL deS'