In the early 20th century, 12 of Holyoke's 13 hotels and inns listed in the City Directory were located below (east) of High Street. That trend would continue with the addition of the Lenox Stag Hotel, the subject of today's presentation.
The story begins with Dennis M. Reardon, born in Ireland in 1878, who emigrated to the United States with his family in 1884. The family settled in the Flats along Bridge and Ely Streets. In his late teens and early 20s, Mr. Reardon played professional baseball for the Waterbury, Connecticut, team in the Connecticut league. Upon retiring from baseball due to an arm injury, he became an umpire and was selected to officiate all of Holy Cross College's home games. In the early 1900s, he also coached at Holy Cross.
On September 24, 1902, Dennis Reardon married Josephine (Danehey) Reardon, a native of New Hampshire.
At this time, he was a noted liquor dealer in the Ward 1 area, where he was raised. In early August 1908, he purchased a tract of property owned by Mrs. L. P. Tower of Springfield. Mrs. Tower had purchased a portion of this land from the Boston & Maine Railroad. The property encompassed the 2-story building at the end (west) of Ely Street, ran along Bowers, and included a portion of Lyman Street. The parcel was located across Bowers Street from the Richardson Train Station.
The parcel was 140 by 260 feet and housed Mr. Reardon's liquor business. Mr. Reardon planned to raze all the buildings and construct a 5-story building with several storefronts, with either a hotel or tenement house on the upper floors. His expanded wholesale liquor business would occupy a portion of the new building on Bowers Street. He intended to include a wine bar on the Ely Street side of the hotel.
The plans for the building were drawn by architect George G. P. Alderman. Excavation began in October 1908 for what was forecast as a 4-story, 150-by-60-foot building. The plans called for 4 storefronts with plate glass windows and 15 apartments. The building would have steam heat, gas and electric lights, iron beams and girders, a tar-and-gravel roof, and metal ceilings. He envisioned completion by January 1909. He hoped to convert the apartments to a modern hotel within a few years. This would be the only licensed hotel in Ward 1.
On December 15, 1909, he opened his wine bar at the corner of Ely and Bowers Street. The building was built as a one-story building at the time, with the potential to become multi-story. Under the direction of general contractor John J. O'Neil, four additional stories were nearing completion in February 1913.
In May 1913, shortly after the Lenox Stag Hotel was opened, Mr. Reardon sold the hotel building and the wine bar to Joseph Ouimette, an auto dealer in Springfield. Mr. Ouimette had previously owned a saloon in Holyoke. The purchase price was $125,000. The 5-story structure contained 24 hotel rooms and 4 modern apartments. The purchase also included the four storefronts: 2 of which Mr. Reardon used for his wholesale liquor business, another by the Three Star Motion Picture Theater, and the fourth, a former bowling alley.
Within 3 weeks, the property reverted to Mr. Reardon, who resumed active management. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Joseph Ouimette could not take possession of the property.
During the course of ownership, Dennis Reardon entered into several partnerships to operate the bar. In 1914, it appeared that he sold the property to D. F. Gale from Boston, who purportedly had political ties with Holyoke City Hall. Mayor Woods protested the transfer of the liquor license to a concern outside of Holyoke, especially given there were viable purchasers living in the city. The sale did not occur.
In February 1915, the hotel and business were sold to father-and-son partners Terence O'Donnell, Sr., and Terence O'Donnell, Jr. Mr. O'Donnell, Sr., resided in Ward 1 and was a School Committee member. The purchase price was $100,000. Soon, Dennis Reardon and his partners, Maurice Lynch and James E. Kelly, repurchased the hotel and business in July 1915.
In July 1920, thieves stole $25,000 worth of liquor stored in Dennis Reardon's home in South Hadley Center. The 4 culprits were caught and tried. Legal problems followed when federal authorities charged Mr. Reardon with violating the Volstead Act, better known as the National Prohibition Act, which went into effect on January 17, 1920. In November 1920, the bar closed for good, and the space was converted into a pharmacy.
Dennis Reardon continued to operate the hotel and manage the real estate until 1923. In April 1923, he sold the hotel, including 30 rooms, 6 tenements, 6 storefronts, and the Three Star Motion Picture Theater, for $100,000. The purchasers, Stag Realty Corporation, whose principals were A. Skolnick, Benjamin F. Evarts, and A. Persky, did not continue operating the hotel; instead, they converted its use into a rooming house. In September 1923, Mr. Persky bought out his partners and did business as Stag Realty Company.
In November 1924, Stag Realty Corporation sold the real estate to Mrs. Agnes Nadeau for $115,000. The Holyoke Transcript reported, "The building contains seven stores and the upper floors are used as a rooming house."
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
