To celebrate the history of the Lower Hudson Valley, we're taking a trip back in time with a Back in the Day column. Each week, we're teaming up with Facebook groups from around the area that showcase the history of the Hudson Valley. The column will feature a photo with information about where and when it was taken. To contribute to Back in the Day, email reporter Heather Clark, hclark@lohud.com.
This Back in the Day photo and information was contributed by Angelique Piwinski, founder of the "Historic Yonkers, Early Photos and Stories" Facebook group.
"Did you know that in 1901 Yonkers was home to an incredible luxury hotel modeled after the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec?
"Designed by Bruce Price, the same architect who designed the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec, the Hotel Hendrik Hudson was built on a solid rock cliff on one of the highest points in Yonkers, 300 feet above sea level where Leslie Sutherland Park is now located. Leslie Sutherland was the Mayor of Yonkers in 1901 and the park is named for him.
"The seven-story and more than 230,000-square-foot hotel was 340 feet long by 100 feet wide and boasted 230 sleeping rooms plus many luxurious reception rooms, parlors, billiard rooms, smoking rooms and even had an observation deck where guests could easily see Long Island Sound, Staten Island and the Catskill Mountains on a clear day. The hotel cost $150,000 to build back in 1901.
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"This was the crowning jewel of the American Realty Company, the developers of Park Hill, answering a need for luxury hotel accommodations for an expanding city and an expanding Park Hill development. The hotel had an easy access for visitors from New York City, since at that time the Putnam Railroad Line was running just below Park Hill and was connected by a funicular (incline railway) designed and built by Yonkers' own Otis Elevator Company.
"On March 31, 1901, a month before the grand opening was scheduled on May 1, the hotel, touted as 'virtually' fireproof, constructed largely of brick, stone and iron, burned to the ground and was never rebuilt. One could only imagine what it would have been like to stay in such a grand hotel with such an incredible view in a beautiful place almost 120 years ago."
Piwinski is a former member of the Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board, was a YHS Key to History Awardee in 2014, and former president of the board of directors, Friends of Philipse Manor Hall, NYS Historic Site.
To join the Facebook group and see more of Yonkers' history, visit facebook.com/groups/248529602017996/?ref=share.
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In 1901, this Yonkers hotel burned to the ground before a single guest checked in - Lohud
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