Herdic's Hotel At Park Place, Williamsport PA

Photo of the Park Hotel, Williamsport, circa 1928

Two stories of the old 4 story Park Hotel still stand, on the corner of 4th Street and Campbell streets in Williamsport.  Over the years I have heard two stories as to what happened to the, well, missing two stories of the building.  Many have said that when it was converted into a retirement home, in 1937, state regulations did not allow retirement homes to be over 3 stories.  Another version said that a fire had destroyed one story, so two were removed.

Turns out, both stories are partially correct.  There was a fire in the 1930s, which partially damaged the 4th floor.  In 1939, state code limited the height of buildings based on the construction materials used.  There was evidence of the fire in the southwest corner of the 4th floor, and although the state did not require the floors to be removed, they would not allow them to be used.  Demolition of the top two floors began in October 1939.

  Peter Herdic  convinced the Pennsylvania Railroad to move their passenger station to this location, promising to build an extravagant hotel here.  He kept his promise, constructing the four story Herdic House Hotel in 1864/1865.

The Herdic House Hotel opened on September 25th 1865, the same day that Herdic's new horse drawn streetcar line opened in the city.  The Hotel was intended to be the location for social gatherings for Williamsport's elite, as well as a destination for those traveling through.

A 156 square foot brick building, with a center courtyard which was at one time open, Situated on 5 acres, Herdic spared no expense on its construction.  The lavish building was surrounded by flower gardens, a fountain, fas fictures, and in the front, a deer park that never contained less than 3 to 4 white tailed deer.

Williamsport Gazette, 1938

This photo shows a swing in the garden, guests on rockers on the porch, and a fabric Park Hotel Banner at the entrance.

The interior was constructed of white pine.  The lobby and halls were lines with marble tile from the mosquito valley. It was described as providing accommodations for 700 guests, with   175 "sleeping rooms" and bathrooms on every floor. A 1939 newspaper article references the tin bathtubs that still remained at the end of some halls.  Later advertisements advertised 200 rooms available.

Encie Herdic's apartment, inside the Park Hotel.  (Encie was the second wife of Peter Herdic)

Another view of the Herdic Apartment in the Park Hotel

The building also included a ballroom, bar and billiard rooms, a barbershop, a cigar shop, a private theater, a new stand, several public parlors, gentlemen's and ladies reading rooms, reception rooms, a fine dining restaurant, and a telegraph office.

There were two large dining rooms on the west side of the building, separated by a partition that could be parially removed.  The kitchen was on the railroad side of the building.

Herdic brought chefs & a Maitre D' from the Grand Hotel in Paris.  

An 1874 Menu Cover, and  the Christmas Menu for Friday December 25th, 1874

One story, which I have not yet found in the newspapers of the time, tells of Herdic building a gas manufacturing plant across the street to light the hotel and other buildings in the city.  During the day of the opening night, the gas plant burned to the ground.  Herdic sent his entire staff throughout the town to buy every oil lamp and candle, in able to light up the hotel as planned.

This early postcard portrays the hotel as mustard  in color, but the actual original color scheme is not known.

In the basement was a restaurant primarily for passengers on the trains that stopped at the station.  The trains would stop here for 20 minutes, allowing passengers time for meals.

Passengers would be greeted by the beating of a large gong and a fog horn voice announcing that meals were ready to be served in the dining room.

“Blocks of buildings sprung up like magic. Street railways, paving jobs, political jobs, manufacturers, newspapers, gas companies, water works, banks and stores grew up at once. Everywhere he was the busy, the mysterious, the energetic, the wonderful Peter Herdic.”

The Hotel was designed by architect Eber Culver, whom Herdic also used to design the building, known as the Weightman building, across from it. Herdic went bankrupt before the Weightman building was completed.  His primary creditor, Philadelphia industrialist William Weightman, had the construction finished, and so the building was named for him.

The Herdic House Hotel had become  the Park Hotel by May 31st 1878.

When Herdic went bankrupt in 1878, the Herdic House Hotel building, which had cost Herdic more than $225,000 to build, was sold for $1,200. The new owner was R.J.C. Walker, the son-in-law of William Weightman, Herdic’s largest creditor. Walker was married to Anne Weightman Walker, at the time thought to be the wealthiest woman in America.

Sun Gazette, June 1895

The Train Station was burned down in August 1979, See more here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2022/04/fire-at-passenger-railroad-station.html

"Did you ever hear Pete Herdic? Well, if you never did (an impossibility) here is the place to learn all about him. You get oft the oars (when they stop) and the first prominent object that attracts your attention is a magnificent hotel. Take the Lochiel for a centre and flank it with the Bolton and Jones House, stand the whole in a park about quarter the size of Capitol park, and there you have the hotel. What's the name? The Park House. It used to be called the Herdic House, but somehow or other Peter got into financial difficulties, "down on the balls," to use an expressive but slangyterm, and then, as usual, everybody kicked at him. The latest kick was to change the name of the hotel from Herdic Park house. But it is an elegant and well - managed hotel all the same, and sheltered beneath its roof, as I write, area number of Harrisburgers notably the venerable Mrs. Eliza Haldeman, Mrs. Haley, Mrs. R. Haldeman (nee Cameron) and Mrs. James I. Chamberlin. Herdic built this hotel in 1864 - 5 at a cost of $375,000. furnished it at a cost of $50,090 more. The other day it was sold for $53, - and the furniture for only $3,300, nominal prices. " - 1879 Newspaper

The McKinley Funeral Train passing the Park Hotel, 1901

1905 Postcard of the Park Hotel

White tail deer roamed the fenced in grounds. "The deer paddocks on the side of the Park nearest the P.R.R. tracks and the joy of train riders, were continued until about 1889, when as a result of the flood they were torn out and dismantled."

Postcard dated 1905

Soon after the hotel was built, it became a summer resort.  Visitors came from Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York and Washington, paying rates of no more than $3 a day and staying for all or part of the summer.

The Park Hotel, 1907, showing the fire escape  (near the porch on the right)

"They have a Boulevard 1' Amour at the Park House. It's a part of the piazza, where gas has been tabooed, here do the lovers congregate. Talk of pitch dark ! Its so dark that the young fellows have to keep their arms around the girls to make sure they are there. This state of affairs was revealed to me last night by a flash of lightning (Ah, you naughty men !)" - 1879 newspaper

1909 Advertisement in a Theatrical Guide

Postcard Dated 1910

There were porches on all 4 sides of the hotel.

“Williamsport has no institution of which she has more reason to feel proud, or which will give her more enviable reputation abroad, than the Park Hotel (formerly the Herdic House Hotel), conducted by Mr. Donald McDonald, whose experience and thorough knowledge of the business in all its minutest details make him peculiarly competent for the management of such a house,” said a June 13, 1879, story in the Gazette.

1920's postcard showing rocking chairs lining one of the porches at the Park Hotel

According to C. Page Lyman, retired woodsman and historian, the "Big Four" hotels of the day where the Logan of Altoona, the White Pine of Elk County, The Mountain House of Renovo, and the Herdic of Williamsport.

According to a 1939 article in the Altoona Tribune, "Many of Williamsport's elite live permanently in the Park hotel, where the cuisine and service catered to the most refined tastes."

1913 Postcard Showing the hotel and train station

"It was as a gathering for informal business and political conference that the "Park" was most famous.  In it's high ceilinged spacious and marble floored lobbies and corridors, tshe great and near-great of Central Pennsylvania assembled nightly."

“The hotel went through many transitions during this time: a name change and frequent renovations and updates by new owners, but the Herdic House Hotel, now the Park Hotel, was still the center of most social activities and known worldwide as a first-class hotel and resort — ‘a garden of Eden,’ “ McKeirnan wrote in a booklet for the 140th anniversary. The Walkers intended to keep it as a social hub. 

1915 Advertisement in the Williamsport Phone Directory

Charles C. Mish listed as manager  (Mish was the manager at least 1912-1915)

1917 Advertisement in The Automobile Blue Book, listing S.V. Matlack as manager

1920 Advertisement, listing Charles Duffy as proprieter

From a Brochure For The Hotel:

"Park Hotel in Williamsport Pa is without an equal for location and environments.  Surrounded with a beautiful private park, with many stately oak trees, well kept lawn, beds of shrubbery and flowers.  Acred of Ground, porches on all four sides of Hotel.  Located in centre of the population of Williamsport, yet just on the edge of shops and amusements.  While we do not claim to be in the heart of the business district, the Park Hotel is in the hearts of the people' for a stay at the Park Hotel is always a sweet memory.

Two hundred rooms, large and airy, with high ceilings, bath rooms opening outside, with good fresh air and ventilation, no enclosed forced air, that becomes foul and stuffy.  The rates are extremely moderate, appealing both to the most discriminating or economical.

The brochure went on to say that Milk, butter, eggs, cream, fresh vegetables and poultry were brought in from surrounding farms each morning. Dining room service was available at regular meal hours serving "The Famous Trail Dinner", as well as A Cafe, Grill, and Tea Room, which had services all hours of day and night.

This postcard is an artists rendition, not a photograph.  The building appears even larger than normal, and although an earlier advertisement shows a flag on top of the building, the Park Hotel Sign on the roof does not appear on any of the other photos I have seen.  The fountain, although mentioned, is never as clearly shown as the one here, as well.

1926 Advertisement

July 3 1935

I'm unsure if this is the fire that caused the damage, resulting in the two floors being removed in 1940 - but it is the only mention of a fire I have found so far.

Photo showing the Park Hotel Sign 

Photo showing the demolition of the top two floors of the Park Hotel, in October 1939

William Budd Stuart purchased the Park Hotel in 1937. The hotel continued to operate under the Gilbert System of Hotels, until 1939, when Stuart began to convert the building into a home for elderly women, in memory of his mother, Laura Van Ness Stuart,  who had been an artist and teacher at Dickinson Seminary in Williamsport.

The two story Park Home.

In 1940 the Park Hotel became the Park Home for elderly women.  It continued as a retirement home until 1997.

Entrance To The Park Home

1943

The Park Retirement Home, relocated to Warrensville Road, became The Meadows.  Many beautiful paintings and some furniture from the Park Home can be seen when visiting The Meadows.

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Today - 800 Park Place

http://www.800parkplace.com/

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Today the building is primarily office space.  

The checkered floor remains, along with a few fire places, but little else remains from when it served as a hotel. 

 The building is often used as an event space, for weddings and other events, as well.

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READ MORE

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The City Directory for Williamsport listed Donald McDonald as proprietor of the Park Hotel in 1893/94

The Cyclists convention of 1882 was held at the park hotel, with many high wheeleed bikes arriving from all over Pennsylvania.

A booklet on the Park Place Hotel for its 140th anniversary, by Rebecca C. McKeirnan and Anthony H. Visco Jr., said many transitions happened between 1879 and 1939. McKeirnan, daughter of Visco, wrote the booklet compiled with Visco’s historical information and research.

August 23rd 1891

In March of 1902, Edson A Tinker took over the management of the Park Hotel.

Charles Duffy Owner & General Manager

June 24 1923

October 1935

December 16th 1937

B.E. Richards retired as manager of the Park Hotel on Jan 1 1938 and management was taken over by the Gilbert System of Hotels, a chain from Jacksonville Florida.

September 1939

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Aug 1939

November 1939

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Peter Herdic

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Williamsport's premier entrepreneur, Peter Herdic, became a millionaire in the lumber business, and soon expanded into real estate, eventually owning part of nearly every business in town, including the water works, gas works, newspaper, the Susquehanna Boom Company and the Herdic House Hotel. The third mayor of Williamsport, he also became known for his philanthropy and for his invention of "the Herdic," a horse-drawn carriage that was a forerunner of the taxicab.

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William Budd Stuart

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William Budd Stuart was born April 15th 1866, the son of Eugene and Laura [Van Ness] Stuart.

Laura Stuart was an accomplished artists and teacher at  Dickenson Seminary.  She had 4 children with her husband Eugene, and continued to teach.  Eugene was a photographer, and the two maintained photography workshops on West Third Street.

At the age or 13, Budd went to work at a logging company in Williamsport.  He later built his fortune in real estate and motor oil.

He married Mary Ann Trafford, who died in 1917.  

When Budd's mother died in 1926, her estate purchased the Park Hotel, and Budd converted it to a home for elderly women, in honor of her.  He decorated the home with art that he had acquired, including Single Sheep by Schneck, a pair of Rosen still life paintings, Coming Storm by Eugene Verboeckhoven, and bronzes of David & Psyche.

Budd died April 12 1951, and is buried in Wildwood Cemetery.

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“His collection consisted of 124 pieces. It included a large, beautiful painting of ‘Sheep in a Storm’ by August F. A. Schenck, as well as two large still-life paintings by A. Rosen, a Williamsport native,” she said. “His collection of paintings adorned the walls throughout the Park Home, lending it an additional air of refinement.”

In January 1956, 65 of the paintings were placed for sale due to a lack of display space. One was reportedly worth $35,000 at the time, according to a report about the art sale in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

“Very few interior features remained since most of the historic pieces had been sold or updated when the conversion from hotel to home for the elderly took place,” McKeirnan wrote. “But there are beautiful pieces that do remain, such as a few room fireplaces, the original black and white marble tile in the first-floor main lobby and hallway, the main lobby monumental stairway, interior lobby columns, the turn-of-the-century metal ceiling with matching cornices and center medallion tin ceiling.”

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About the Park Home

The Meadows personal care home is owned by ​​​​The Park Home, a Williamsport, Pennsylvania-based philanthropic and nonprofit organization that has been improving the lives of senior citizens since 1940.​

The Park Home originated in 1929 as “The Laura V. Stuart Memorial,” named in honor of the mother of founder William Budd Stuart. Stuart established the memorial with the express purpose of providing a home for the aged, where residents could live the remainder of their lives in contentment and happiness.

To fulfill his mission, Stuart in 1930 purchased The Park Hotel, located at 800 West Fourth Street in Williamsport. The hotel was built by Peter Herdic during the lumbering boom and required extensive renovations before it was ready to fulfill its new purpose. In 1940, the name of the building was changed to The Park Home, and the facility welcomed its first residents.

In 1975, the city of Williamsport incorporated West Fourth Street—including The Park Home—into a Historic District. By the late 1980s, the decades-old structure was deemed functionally obsolete, and The Park Home’s board of directors sought to demolish the building and construct a new, modern facility designed to house more than 100 residents. However, under regulations governing the Historic District, demolition was prohibited, and plans for a new facility were abandoned. In 1997, with the home no longer able to serve the needs of its residents and renovations proving to be cost prohibitive, The Park Home provided the financial assistance needed to relocate its residents to other area facilities and listed the building for sale.

Following the closure and sale of the West Fourth Street property, the board of The Park Home began pursuing a variety of options to locate or construct a new facility so the non-profit organization could continue to fulfill its mission of serving area seniors.

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In August 2002, The Park Home entered into an agreement with Lycoming County for what would become The Park Home’s first purchase of The Meadows. Once the transaction was complete, the board began to plan for the construction of additional residential units on the Warrensville Road campus to help meet the region’s growing need for independent living facilities for seniors. However, deed restrictions on the property prohibited The Park Home board from moving forward with the planned expansion project. As a result, The Park Home chose to sell the property back to the county. 

With dual goals of providing housing to the Sisters of Christian Charity assigned to the Williamsport area and continuing The Meadow’s mission as an independent living facility for senior adults in the region, Susquehanna Health purchased the facility in 2009. Over the years, the number of Sisters residing at The Meadows continued to decrease, and the remaining Sisters plan to relocate to a smaller space in 2015.  

In January 2015, The Park Home purchased The Meadows from Susquehanna Health, which, under a partnership agreement with The Park Home, continues to provide clinical oversight for, and day-to-day management of, The Meadows

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February 1939

A Leather Postcard, portraying the Park Hotel