Eldridge Hotel

By Sarah Stanclift

		The Eldridge Hotel, originally named the Free State Hotel, was first built in 1855 by the New England Emigrant Society. Located at 701 Massachusetts, the $80,000 hotel was attacked three weeks later by Douglas County Sheriff, Sam Jones. Along with a group of pro-slavery forces, they told Colonel Shaler Eldridge that he had until 5:30 p.m. to remove all belongings from his luxurious hotel. During the procedure of destruction, cannon shots failed to completely break down the brick and stone walls. As a result, they used keg gunpowder to explode the inside and set it on fire. As an attempt to rebuild the hotel, Colonel Shalor Eldridge and his crew of men reconstructed and added another floor. As a tradition, they promised to add one floor each time the hotel was torn down. Five years went by, and the hotel was up and running like never before. Then suddenly out of nowhere, William Qunatrill and his Raiders destroyed the Free State Hotel. The town of Lawrence wanted to rebuild, but in 1866, difficulties in financing cause Colonel Eldridge to sell the hotel to George Deitzler. The Eldridge was then sold and rebuilt and finished by the end of that year. For the next forty years, the building stood tall, but eventually deteriorated. Billy Huston then produced a plan in 1926 to tear down and rebuild the Eldridge. Huston got a group of law business leaders together and devised a plan to reconstruct the hotel. Kansas started to become populated with more hotels and motels, which caused the Eldridge to be shut down, once again, but not for long. In 1985, Rob Philips came into play. He renovated the Eldridge, making it a more inviting environment where families would be pleased to stay while on vacation. Since the hotel had never been locked, nobody could ever find the original make of the key, so another key had to be made do insure the safety of the hotel and the people staying inside. Located at the corner of 7th and Massachusetts, the Eldridge Hotel stands tall and proud of its history of being the first, and of course the best Hotel in Lawrence, Kansas. With the pleasant atmosphere as a "home away from home," the brick building can be seem from down the block. With new renovations, the hotel offers a lovely bar for late night drinks as well as a TV to enjoy a Jayhawks game. A side and front door with glass windows enables you to see out onto Massachusetts Street to see the coming and going shoppers. A fish fountain located in the inner heart of the hotel lobby is delightful to go sit by with your family. The hotel specialty; each door is labeled with a name of significant people who once stayed in the Eldridge. Over the years, it's been called the Free State Hotel, then became the Eldridge Hotel, its been burned and rebuilt, renovated and made new again, but no matter what, the Eldridge Hotel will always be a national landmark and a major part in Lawrence history.
A full view of the Eldridge shows the brownish-red brick hotel on southwest corner of 7th and Massachusetts.

This plaque is on the corner of 7th and Massachusetts.

This front view captures the Jayhawker Wine and Spirits Bar located inside the main entrance and to the right.

The south side of the Eldridge reveals bricks from earlier walls.
The front, or east, entrance displays a beautiful canopy with an 'E' representing Eldridge, which is also etched in the glass of the door.

Works cited:

1. David Dary, edited by Steve Jensen. Pictorial History of Lawrence. November 18th, 2002. Page 35, 52.
2. Lawrence Unified School District, Lawrence, Kansas. March 1971. Historic Buildings.
3. "The Eldridge Hotel."(Pamphlet found at Lawrence Public Library, no author or date found.)

This is a Photo Explorations Project at West Junior High School, Lawrence, Kansas.
Karen Musacchio, instructor.

Historic Places / Student Projects / Community Connections / West Junior High / USD 497