March 2025.
The Shawnee Hotel is a typical early 20th-century Beaux-Arts hotel in Springfield. These kinds of designs were everywhere with minimal variations--any large city generally has a similar building that was/is a hotel. Springfield’s is an excellently preserved example, maintaining many original features.
The Shawnee Hotel is located at 102 East Main Street in downtown Springfield, Ohio. It is bordered by a parking lot and the Clark County Juvenile Court to the north, Main Street and the Commerce Pointe Building to the south, two small Gilded Age buildings to the east, and Limestone Street and the Springfield Federal Savings & Loan Building to the west.
History
Historic postcard of the Shawnee Hotel. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
The Shawnee Hotel was commissioned by developer A. C. Link, a prominent Springfield citizen. It was designed in 1916 by St. Louis architect H. Ziegler Dietz. When it was completed in 1917, it became the tallest building in Springfield.
The dining room in 1939. (Springfield News-Sun)
The Shawnee Hotel was considered to be one of the finest hotels in the entire state of Ohio. It was known for its sumptuous interior design and amenities such as in-room plumbing, meeting rooms, and ballrooms. The 173 guest rooms had mahogany and ivory furniture, and the grand lobby had a marble staircase. The dining room (pictured above) had black walnut paneling, and its decoration was designed by the Mandel Brothers.
The hotel operated until the 1960s, when it was converted to a residential hotel. It fully closed sometime afterwards and sat empty until 1985, when it was renovated into an assisted living facility. It was renamed to “Shawnee Place” afterwards. The Shawnee Hotel was purchased by Model Group in 2001, which conducted an extensive restoration to the building in 2009. It included a new roof and cornice repairs, cleaning the masonry, renovating the 84 apartments, and accessibility upgrades like upgrading the freight elevator and making 18 apartments wheelchair accessible.
(WorthPoint)
While researching, I found this antique candle holder from the hotel, which has a caricature of a Native American on it. I figured it was named after the Shawnee tribe, but I wasn’t quite expecting to find some good ol’ American racism while researching it. I named this article after the name for the Shawnee people in their language.
Photos
Looking northeast from the corner of Limestone and Main Streets:
The Shawnee Hotel has a pretty typical “base, shaft, capital” facade, and its U-shaped plan with a light court is also common for these Beaux-Arts buildings.
I like how the west facade slopes with the grade of the site:
The building is peppered with classical details. The base has Doric pilasters and a simple architrave, the balconies’ balusters are likewise common features, and the ornamental features like the cornice, string courses, and corbels also incorporate classical motifs.
Detail of the west entrance:
The cornice and buff brick stop abruptly a few feet into the light court, and the space within is as functional and unadorned as Gilded Age architecture gets. This is undoubtedly a cost-saving measure, as it allowed more gingerbread to be put elsewhere.
The cornice is fantastic. Its green color is very interesting and complements the red brick excellently.
The way the corner is articulated is also interesting:
The south facade is similar but uninterrupted:
The entrance to Shawnee Place is here. Note the intact original bulkheads above the windows.
Detail of a balcony:
I have no idea what’s going on with the balusters here. They’re different shapes and sizes, and some are missing entirely. It’s a little eclectic, in an interesting way.
The east side is similar to the light court in that it is simple and unadorned:
What confuses me here is the metal(?) cladding on the side. I’ve seen this employed on buildings that used to abut smaller neighbors that have since been demolished, but if that were the case, then why are there windows there? Is it a structural thing?
The Shawnee Hotel remains occupied today, and its restoration ensures that its historic character will be available to future generations. Its first floor houses small businesses.
Sources:
https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/postcard/id/37187/
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/syracuse-china-hotel-shawnee-1787911083
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