Hotel Kimball

Last updated

Hotel Kimball
Chestnut Street, Kimball Hotel and Y. M. C. A., Springfield, Mass (61512).jpg
Historic postcard: Kimball Hotel
Hotel Kimball
Alternative namesKimball Towers Condominiums
General information
TypeHotel
Architectural styleRenaissance Revival
Address140 Chestnut Street
Town or citySpringfield, Massachusetts
CountryUSA
Construction started1910
Opened1911
Cost$1,000,000
Design and construction
Architect(s)Albert Winslow Cobb
Designations(see Designated landmark)
Known forSite of the United States' first-ever commercial radio station, Westinghouse's WBZ, and for hosting guests including many U.S. Presidents, dignitaries, and film stars
Other information
Seating capacity450
Number of rooms309

The Kimball Towers Condominiums (originally known as The Hotel Kimball and later The Sheraton-Kimball Hotel) is a historic former hotel, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, at 140 Chestnut Street, in Metro Center's Apremont Triangle Historic District. Designed by architect Albert Winslow Cobb in 1910 and constructed in the Renaissance Revival style, The Hotel Kimball is famous as the site of the United States' first-ever commercial radio station, Westinghouse's WBZ, and also for hosting celebrated guests, including many U.S. Presidents, dignitaries, and film stars. [1] [2] The Kimball is located in the Apremont Triangle Historic District, with its main entrance on Chestnut Street, between Bridge and Hillman Streets. Since 1983, the Kimball has been protected by the Apremont Triangle Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contents

History

During the first decade of the twentieth century, Springfield—at the time one of the United States' wealthiest cities—had a surfeit of wealthy travelers but only one first-class hotel, (i.e. the Hotel Worthy, constructed in the nineteenth century.) In 1910, wealthy businessman William Kimball commissioned architect Albert Winslow Cobb—notable for his advocacy of Shingle style architecture—to design a luxury hotel in the style of Cobb's admirers, McKim, Mead, and White, atop one of Springfield's prominent bluffs.

On its opening in 1911, the Springfield Republican described Kimball's and Cobb's building as "representing an outlay of approximately $1,000,000, the Kimball stands as an example of all the latest ideas in hotel evolution. … Everywhere there is splendor, yet it is splendor with refinement." [3]

Cobb's exterior design for the Hotel Kimball included a rusticated stone base; arched window openings with stone voussoirs; vertical stone banding; and a detailed cornice profile. The interior featured grand function rooms, including a ballroom and lounge, as well as ample guest accommodations. [4] On its opening in 1911, it was reviewed by the New York Times as "ranking with the finest [hotels] in the country. A magnificent hotel, modern and metropolitan in every appointment." [5]

At the time, guest-rooms featured "solid mahogany floors and chairs with upholstery of hand tooled-leather, bearing the Kimball coat-of-arms." Built in what was the affluent residential neighborhood of Chestnut and Bridge Streets, the Kimball offered 309 rooms, a dining-room capacity for 450, a 22-foot (6.7 m)-high grand ballroom for 350 guests, and, in 1912, room rates from "$1.50 to $3.50 per day". Proms, wedding receptions, conventions, banquets, and weekly Rotary and Kiwanis meetings kept Kimball facilities fully booked for decades. [6]

For decades following its 1911 opening, The Kimball was "the leading hotel in Western Massachusetts." [7] During the 1940s, it was the first grand hotel purchased by Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, (which was then based in Springfield.) After its purchase, the Kimball was renamed the Sheraton-Kimball Hotel and remained a 4-star property until the early 1980s, when it began a long conversion into The Kimball Towers Condominiums. [8] [9] In its time as a hotel, the Kimball hosted U.S. Presidents like Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, among many movie actors, actresses, kings, and wealthy industrialists. [10]

During the late 1960s, the construction of Interstate 91 and the resulting white flight of wealthy and upper-middle class Springfielders to Western Massachusetts' suburbs had a detrimental effect on the city's Metro Center and the Sheraton-Kimball Hotel, as it did on most U.S. cities and their urban hotels. During the 1970s and early 1980s, many gilded age hotels like the Kimball were torn down in the United States. In 1983, the Kimball was spared the wrecking ball by the National Register of Historic Places. Soon after, two developers purchased it to develop condominiums. Amidst the renovation of the 309-room Hotel Kimball into the 132-room Kimball Towers, its developers filed for bankruptcy. Later they were imprisoned for a different development. [11] For nearly a decade thereafter, the Kimball Towers were managed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Many of the Kimball's units were left unfinished or bare by the developers, who had completed only the top three floors of the ten-story building, (floors 6, 7, and 8.) During this period, many Kimball units were sold to absentee landlords, as the building's (and Springfield's) future seemed uncertain.

During the new millennium, the Kimball staged a comeback. It achieved financial and managerial stability, which had eluded it since its days as the Sheraton-Kimball Hotel. The "Millennium Room"—originally part of the Kimball's famous Pickwick Lounge restaurant and bar, which played host to numerous Kennedy family campaign meetings—was renovated and now features regular art shows and entertainment by artists and musicians. [9] [12] In 2011, the Kimball celebrated its 100th anniversary on St. Patrick's Day, 2011. [8] As of 2012, the Kimball Towers is primarily owner-occupied, and currently undergoing extensive renovations in accordance with its Historic Preservation Certificate.

Westinghouse's WBZ

The Kimball is famous as the site one of the United States' first-ever commercial radio station, Westinghouse's WBZ. [1] [2] From 1921 until the station moved to Boston, Massachusetts in the 1930s, [13] WBZ's standard broadcast identification was, "WBZ-AM, Hotel Kimball, Springfield" and later "WBZA-AM & FM, Hotel Kimball, Springfield." [2] The radio station's headquarters in The Hotel Kimball lured the day's most popular entertainers to Springfield—a mid-sized city, although from the 1870s–1960s, also one of the United States' wealthiest. These entertainers were drawn by the hotel's reputation as much as the radio station's, and Springfield's. [3] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield, Massachusetts</span> City in Massachusetts, United States

Springfield is the most populous city in and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern Mill River. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 155,929, making it the 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the 4th most populous city in New England after Boston, Worcester, and Providence. Metropolitan Springfield, as one of two metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, had a population of 699,162 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBZ (AM)</span> American radio station in Boston

WBZ is a commercial AM radio station, licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, and owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios and offices are located on Cabot Road in the Boston suburb of Medford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moana Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Moana Hotel is a historic hotel building in Honolulu, Hawaii, located at 2365 Kalākaua Avenue in the Waikiki neighborhood. Built in the late 19th century as the first hotel in Waikiki, the Moana opened in 1901. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel was also inducted into Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in 1989. The building is currently part of the resort complex known as Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa and is managed by Westin Hotels & Resorts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMJX</span> Adult contemporary radio station in Boston

WMJX – branded Magic 106.7 – is a commercial adult contemporary radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. The WMJX studios are located in Boston's Allston–Brighton neighborhood, while the station transmitter resides on the Prudential Tower in Downtown Boston. Besides a standard analog transmission, WMJX broadcasts using HD Radio technology, and is available online via Audacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Omni King Edward Hotel</span> Historic luxury hotel in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Omni King Edward Hotel, also known as the "King Eddy", is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hotel is located at 37 King Street East, and it occupies the entire block bounded by King Street on the north, Victoria Street on the east, Colborne Street on the south and Leader Lane on the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palace Hotel, San Francisco</span> Hotel in California, United States

The Palace Hotel is a landmark historic hotel in San Francisco, California, located at the southwest corner of Market and New Montgomery streets. The hotel is also referred to as the New Palace Hotel to distinguish it from the original 1875 Palace Hotel, which had been demolished after being gutted by the fire caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paragon Park</span>

Paragon Park was an amusement park located on Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts. It closed in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile</span> Building in Illinois, United States

InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile is a hotel in Chicago, United States. The hotel currently occupies two multi-story buildings. The historic tower, or "South Tower," is a 471-foot (144 m), 42-story building which was completed in 1929 originally as the home of the Medinah Athletic Club. The new tower, or "North Tower" is a 295-foot (90 m), 26-story addition, completed in 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Century Plaza Hotel</span> Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, California

The Fairmont Century Plaza is a 19-story luxury hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, US. The hotel fronts the Avenue of the Stars, adjacent to the twin Century Plaza Towers and the 2000 Avenue of the Stars complex. At the time of its opening in 1966, the Century Plaza Hotel was the highest building in Century City, with views extending all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It was also the first hotel to have color televisions in all of its rooms. The hotel closed for renovations in 2016, and reopened on September 27, 2021, operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Biltmore Hotel and Biltmore Apartments</span> United States historic place

The Atlanta Biltmore Hotel and Biltmore Apartments is a historic building located in Atlanta, Georgia. The complex, originally consisting of a hotel and apartments, was developed by William Candler, son of Coca-Cola executive Asa Candler, with Holland Ball Judkins and John McEntee Bowman. The original hotel building was converted to an office building in 1999. The building is currently owned by the Georgia Institute of Technology and is adjacent to Technology Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apremont Triangle Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

Apremont Triangle Historic District is a historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts, located at the junction of Pearl, Hillman, Bridge, and Chestnut Streets in its Metro Center district. The Apremont Triangle Historic District includes the Apremont Triangle Park, nicknamed "the Heart of Springfield" by the city's arts community; the historic, 10-story Kimball Towers Condominiums, a nine-story historic, former YMCA, which now houses apartments at 122 Chestnut Street, (1915); the six-story Neo-Gothic Tarbell-Waters Building (1923), a former office building that was auctioned in August 2011; the two-story Harris-Green building, a 1920s Rolls-Royce showroom, which is, actually, two buildings; and the two-story Birnie Building, a 1930s Pontiac showroom. Currently, the district is the center of Springfield's bohemian arts community, featuring multi-media organizations, artists' lofts, ethnic restaurants, and organizations like The Apremont Arts Community - group of multi-media artists, non-profit organizations, and businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willys–Overland Block</span> Historic place in Massachusetts, United States

The Willys–Overland Block is a historic commercial and industrial block at 151-157 Chestnut and 10-20 Winter Streets in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1916, it is a surviving reminder of Springfield early history in the manufacture and sale of automobile, housing the sales showroom and service center for the Willys–Overland Company. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District is a historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts, bounded by Chestnut Street to the West; State Street to the South; and includes properties on Mattoon, Salem, Edwards and Elliot Streets. Located in the Metro Center, the Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District is one of the few neighborhoods in the Knowledge Corridor lined with historic, restored red-brick Victorian row houses on both sides, covered by tree canopies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marriott Wardman Park</span> United States historic place

The Washington Marriott Wardman Park was a hotel on Connecticut Avenue next to the Woodley Park station of the Washington Metro in the Woodley Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Jefferson Hotel</span> 19-story building on the western side of downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Thomas Jefferson Tower, originally the Thomas Jefferson Hotel and then the Cabana Hotel, is a 19-story building on the western side of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. It was completed in 1929 as the 350-room Thomas Jefferson Hotel and is at 1623 2nd Avenue North. It has a tower in its roof intended to be a zeppelin mooring mast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Toronto</span> Luxury condominium and hotel

The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Toronto is a complex consisting of a 204-metre, 55-storey residential condominium tower and a 125-meter, 30-storey luxury hotel tower in the Yorkville district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which opened on October 5, 2012. Located at 60 Yorkville Avenue, at its intersection with Bay Street, the complex is situated one block east of the former Four Seasons Hotel Toronto building at 21 Avenue Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts</span>

Metro Center is the original colonial settlement of Springfield, Massachusetts, located beside a bend in the Connecticut River. As of 2019, Metro Center features a majority of Western Massachusetts' most important cultural, business, and civic venues. Metro Center includes Springfield's Central Business District, its Club Quarter, its government center, its convention headquarters, and in recent years, it has become an increasingly popular residential district, especially among young professionals, empty-nesters, and creative types, with a population of approximately 7,000 (2010.)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritz-Carlton Atlantic City</span> Hotel (former), Condominiums (current) in Atlantic City, New Jersey

The Ritz-Carlton Atlantic City, located at 199 S. Iowa Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, began as a hotel on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, built at the beginning of the Roaring Twenties and renowned for its luxurious decor and famous guests. It was used as an apartment hotel beginning in 1969, and then purchased in 1978 with the intention of developing it as a hotel and casino. The building was converted to The Ritz Condominiums in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neighborhoods in Springfield, Massachusetts</span>

The City of Springfield, Massachusetts, has 19 distinct neighborhoods. Many feature subdivisions known by other names, such as The X, Hungry Hill, and Mason Square. Springfield's neighborhoods fan out north, south, and east, from its original, colonial settlement in what is now Metro Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Jefferson (St. Louis, Missouri)</span> United States historic place

The Jefferson Arms is a historic building in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It opened as the Hotel Jefferson in 1904 to serve visitors to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson.

References

  1. 1 2 "Firsts". springfield375.org. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Chronologic history of Springfield Radio!". springfieldradio.com.
  3. 1 2 "Local Intelligence: Exploring the Past of My Adopted Hometown". Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  4. "Kimball Hotel Condominiums". rwpa-architects.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. Hotel Kimball Springfield, MA. Cardcow.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-21.
  6. 1 2 "Kimball Towers History". Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  7. Hotel Kimball Springfield, MA. Cardcow.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-21.
  8. 1 2 "The Kimball to Celebrate 100th Anniversary". The Springfield Intruder. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Valley Radio Reading Service sets art show and sale fund-raiser. masslive.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-21.
  10. "Roosevelt visited on eve of Great Depression". MassLive.com. The Republican. August 25, 2010. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  11. "Teamster fund fraud lands pair in jail". HighBeam. June 23, 1994. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012.
  12. "Kimball Towers hosts music, dance event". MassLive.com. April 6, 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  13. WBZ’s First Broadcast « CBS Boston. Boston.cbslocal.com (2011-09-13). Retrieved on 2013-08-21.

42°6′18.6″N72°35′21.1″W / 42.105167°N 72.589194°W / 42.105167; -72.589194