Book Review
Title: Built to Last: 100+Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi
Author: Stanley Turkel
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Date: September 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-1491810071
Stanley Turkel’s book offers a unique window into the past via the history of the most illustrious hotels built in the US. The title prepares the reader to encounter some of the finest examples of architecture and construction, and the reader is not disappointed.
Each hotel has a story. Each story begins at first construction (mostly late 1700s to early 1800s), and tells the story all the way to the present, roughly up to 2013 when the book was published.
Many stories include near destruction, ruin by neglect, fire damage, and other “near-death” experiences. But in these cases, investors or historical preservation organizations came to the rescue. All of the hotels featured are still standing today.
Being the grandest hotels in the US, one expects a start-studded guest list. Practically every president from George Washington on down stayed in one or the other hotel featured in the book. One hotel housed troops during the Revolutionary War. Others were used for various purposes during the War of 1812, the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. Many movie stars, famous writers, politicians, aristocrats, and other celebrities are named with each hotel’s historical guest list. One hotel was designed by Kurt Vonnegut’s grandfather. Another hotel’s grand opening was celebrated by the Boston Mayor, grandfather of President John F. Kennedy. These kinds of connections and “name dropping” bring color and life to the history, much moreso than typical history textbooks.
We learn the origin of the term “lobbyist”—the massive lobby of Washington D.C.’s Willard Hotel was where influencers cornered Congressmen to sway their policies. Hence the term.
The variety of backstories is endless. Some hotels started as large manor homes, one began as a hat factory, then a bank, before becoming a hotel. One of the oldest (1651) began as a Carmelite Convent. Another housed a theater for Vaudeville acts.
These stories provide context for the hotels being discussed, so we learn a lot of interesting facts about the surrounding communities, societies, personalities, and events of those times. The book is an easy read, as well as an enjoyable journey through the past, tracing the centuries of change up to the present day. I recommend this book for anyone with interest in architecture, past societies, or general history.
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Robert Rose-Coutré
Author of Screenformation 2.0