![](../navigation.gif) |
![](arlington.jpg)
The Arlington Hotel is located on Spring Street in downtown Excelsior Springs. The original patents call for three quarter sections issued to John McCorkle, Gibson Gates and Erastus Gates. Subsequent owners were Jobe Morris, Asahel Wilson, Travis Turner, J.L. Mullikin and Elizabeth Cravens Wyman. Elizabeth Wyman was the wife of Anthony W. Wyman, co-founder with J.V.B. Flack of the Original Town.
The location of this building is on Lots 8, 9 and 10, Block 8. The Wyman family sold them to Leroy Davis and he to A. Genocchio of Kansas City for $3,250. Title was later transferred to the McLain Land and Investment Company. The McLain Land and Investment Company bought the three lots on the corner of South Marietta and Spring Streets and broke ground for the Arlington on November 10, 1899 and opened for business May 1, 1900. The entrance to the hotel was on Spring Street and extended over the east building as it does today. Helen McLain was the hotel manager.
In a 1900 publication by The McLain Land and Investment describes the Arlington Hotel as follows: "Has a basement under the entire main part built of flat blue limestone rock, concrete bottom. All cornices and towers are galvanized iron, making it as fireproof as possible. On entering, to the right and left, the visitor who ever had the pleasure of being a guest at the Elms Hotel, will recognize the two elegant mantels saved from the wreck of that famous history."
After a few years of operation, the McLains leased the Arlington to the Excelsior Club. It was a rather notorious club and information has it that it was so notorious the Gov. Folk had it closed. A November 5, 1908 notice in the Daily Call stated, "Furnishings of the Arlington hotel, formerly The Excelsior Club, by lessee on account of surrender of lease - commencing at 10:00 a.m. and continuing until 10:00 p.m. daily for three days. Furnishings will be sold at private sale."
After that it was occupied by Harriett Lindsey, who operated the Lindsey Sanitarium (the city's first hospital). It closed and was later reopened as the Lucerne Hotel and operated by Mrs. CP. McGaugh and, in 1920, by Mr. and Mrs. L.H. Adams. It served meals and before each meal, someone would appear on the front porch and ring a hand bell to call all diners in. The 1930s were rough and the building fell in bad repair. The General American Life Insurance Company was forced to foreclose on its mortgage. September 14, 1942, Claude Prichard purchased the building, repaired and converted it to apartments. The apartments were later sold to Lindell and Martha Jarman.
Originally, the building featured lion heads decorating the porch, each of which held a light bulb in it's mouth. The lion heads were removed with a west portion of the porch, and donated to the Excelsior Springs Historical Musuem by Lindell Jarman.
The building has passed through several other ownerships, but remains in use today as the Springdale Apartments. The commercial building on the corner is vacant.
Return to top
|
|
![](../copyright.gif)
|