In 1899, the Germania Hotel was sold to Joseph H. Fowles and renamed the Manhattan House. Its thirteen-year history was not as rich as its predecessor; however, it was part of the story of 80 Hamilton Street.
George Edward Hobbs was the manager of the boarding house from 1899 to 1905. The hotel served both transient and long-term guests.
One of the issues highlighted in news articles was the hotel's inability to obtain a liquor license. The hotel was located less than 100 yards from the Grace Congregational Church and the Holyoke Boys Club. Additionally, the Park Street School and Hamilton Street School were located two short blocks from the inn. Obtaining a liquor license during this era with neighboring schools, churches, and social centers was difficult, if not impossible.
As time passed in the early 20th century, the once-stately Germania Inn declined during the Manhattan House days.
In 1905, George Edward Hobbs purchased the Manhattan House from Joseph H. Fowles. He had plans to tear down the building and construct a modern 16-unit tenement block. Mr. Hobbs did not follow through with his plans.
In 1907 and 1908, the Price & Lee Holyoke City Directories listed Mrs. Alexander Couture as the proprietor, and for the following three years, Mrs. Eva Girardeau assumed the same position.
From October 1899 to June 1910, a daily ad appeared in the Holyoke Transcript. It stated, "MANHATTAN HOUSE. Rates $1 a day and up. European Plan."
Although a 1907 police raid searching for alcohol yielded nothing, the city police conducted another in October 1909, resulting in the arrest of three people and the removal of a substantial amount of liquor from the premises. According to news accounts, the premises were also being used for other illicit purposes.
In 1910, Florence Donoghue purchased the building with plans to demolish and build a business block. The new owner did not follow through and sold the building shortly thereafter to James F. Courtney.
The 1911 Holyoke City Directory listed the business as the Hotel Francais. Its operators were Louis Blondel and Jules Boudoin.
The mayor had ordered the hotel shut down about this time, and it remained shuttered into 1913. An attempt to reopen with a saloon license transfer to the hotel failed in 1913
In 1914, Mr. Courtney sold the building to E. H. Fredrichs of E. H. Friedrichs & Co. More changes were in store, as the building remained standing, surviving several plans for demolition.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily- Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Holyoke Public Library History Room, online Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Richard's Standard Atlas of the City of Holyoke, Massachusetts (1911)
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