South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-03-21
NEW SOUTH SHORE
DEPOT To OCCUPY
SHERIDAN OFFICE
Secures Lease of Hotel Lobby
and Barber Shop and Option
on Building for lnterurban
Terminal Station.

After "a years OF continued service
on the ground floor. the corner OF
y. Michigan and I.asalle SITS. the Sher-
idan hotel. with the exception of the
dining room. is 10 move upstairs. and
the present lobby Office and barber
shop. is 10 become the terminal sta
ton of the Chicago. Lake Shore &
South Bend Railway Co. after May
Is
A lease OF the ground floor. with the
exception Of the barroom and the
dining hall. for one year. with the
privilege OF two. with an option for the
purchase OF the entire hotel building,
south 10 about the center Of the din
ing hall, has been secured from Mrs.
Adele Bickford, proprietor OF the
hotel. Remodeling is TO begin at once.
Property 20 the south Of the hotel
proper. owned by other parties, used
for the hotel 10 about the center OF
he dining room. is TO be abandoned
as 10 that purpose, and a dividing
wall reconstructed. separating the
buildings. The north half OF the din
ing room will continue it's connection
with the hotel, serving also for a ter
minal restaurant and lunch room with
the office UPSTAIRS.
That the Northern In lana will also
use the Sheridan for a city waiting
room and interurban station, in con-
junction with the South Shore, was
denied by Charles ID. Emmons gen
eral manager OF the Northern Indiana.
saturday. All negotiations looking TO
union station for the two companies.
we're broken off some time ago, &C
COrding TO EmmonS-since fl deVeI-
oped that AT. amalgamation of western
service could not be made
The present Northern Indiana sta
ton at, Washington and Michigan,
is TO be retained. though il is admit
ted that at the time the LasaIIe St
bridge franchise was secured and the
double tracks laid on Main ard La
sale SITS. forming a new loop, that
would mako Michigan and .asalle
available to both roads for depot pur-
poses, a union station was in the
minds Of the officials of both roads.
Promise of the South Shore Off
Gals made to the board Of safety, TO
relieve the congestion on Main St, at
once, by statiOning waiting cars on
COlfax av., coupled with the sugges-
ton that Main So. and the present
waiting room viii be abandoned en-
tireiy by the middle of May, preceded
the story from Michigan City Friday
that the Sheridan hotel is the place
TO be utilized.
1t was rumored some weeks ago
that an option had been secured on
the LOntz coal yard property dag
Onally across Michigan and L1asalIe to
the northeast. with the view of build
ing station there, but il now ap-
pears 20 have fallen through Wheth-
er negotiations for the hotel property
have been going on for any consider
able time, is uncertain, but the owners
or the sOutherly part OF the dining
room, for which a lease was held by
Mrs Bedford, consented t. release
her only few days ago
This release appears to have been
necessary. together with an under
standing as TO who should build the
dividing wall, and how. before the
site could be definitely decided upon.
&c is also understood that the South
Shore has secured an option on a
small patch of ground Immediately TO
the southwest of the Sheridan build
ing. that will enable the company to
square the building. the new room to
be constructed on the ground to con-
stitutc part Of an express store
room.
Hotel Has "A History.
The Sheridan hotel, originally The
Exchange, was built by William l..
Earl in 1910.
Lasalle was Water st. when the
t4EcnanEe motel was built, then in
the very heart Of the city-which was
only a village. on the northeast cor
ner Of the same streets. at that time,
now the Lontz coal yards was an In
dian trading post OF the American
Fur Co, with Alexis Coquillard in
charge lie called it the big st. Jo-
seph station and il is said that had
the South Shore secured that prop
erty that name would have been res
directed.
At this point too was the first ferry
across the St Joseph. running very
closely along the line OF the Lasalle
81. bridge. The hotel then was quite
in the very center of things After
several years Earl the builder. sold
the place and il became known as the
house. Dwight Deming. Samuel RAJ
gan. Capt. Mills. Jeremiah II. Knight
George Horn, William Mason, John +.
Kirby and Bird Bickford. then the lat
ter's widow, have successfully owned
and run the place.
10 was Samuel Ragan, about 1869
who gave the hotel the name Sheri-
dan house. in honor Of Gen. sheridan
of civil war fame. Repairs and i'm
provements later brought il the name
New sheridan. but since the coming
of the Oliver the New has been
gradually forgotten.
Bird Bickford came into possession
OF the property in 1895.
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