Allen Hotel facts for kids
|
Allen Hotel
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
 |
|
 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 17 Wendell Ave. Ext., Pittsfield, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Built | 1914 |
| Built by | Louis Larouche |
| Architect | Joseph McArthur Vance |
| Architectural style | None listed |
| Part of | Park Square Historic District (ID75001911) |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000566 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | September 1, 1983 |
| Designated CP | December 23, 1991 |
The Allen Hotel is an old and important building in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It was built in 1915 and first opened as the Park Hotel. This building is a great example of Renaissance Revival architecture, a fancy style that looks back to old European designs. A famous local architect named Joseph McArthur Vance designed it.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This means it's recognized as a special historical place. Later, in 1991, it became part of the larger Park Square Historic District in Pittsfield. The building is no longer a hotel, but it is now used for other purposes.
What Does the Allen Hotel Building Look Like?
The former Allen Hotel building is located in downtown Pittsfield. You can find it on the west side of Wendell Avenue Extension, just north of East Street. It is a tall, five-story building made of steel and strong materials. The outside is covered in light yellow bricks with fancy marble details.
The top of the building has a flat roof with a decorative edge called a cornice. This cornice has small blocks and teeth-like shapes, which are common in Renaissance Revival style. The front of the building is divided into three main parts.
The ground floor looks like a slightly raised basement. It has wide, arched windows and a main entrance that is set back a bit. There are thin decorative lines that run along the building, separating the different floors. The second, third, and fourth floors have pairs of windows in the middle, sharing a common top piece. The windows on the sides of these floors are rectangular and arranged in a special way. Another decorative line separates the fourth and fifth floors. The fifth floor has three-part windows on the sides and paired windows in the center.
A Brief History of the Allen Hotel
The hotel was built in 1915 by Louis Larouche. It was designed by Joseph McArthur Vance, who was a very well-known architect in the area. The land where the hotel stands was once the home of Pittsfield's very first minister, Rev. Thomas Allen. His family owned the land until 1913.
When it first opened, the hotel was called the Park Hotel. But in the 1930s, new owners took over and renamed it the Allen Hotel. This name stuck for a long time. In 1991, the building was known as the Wendell House Hotel. Since then, it has been changed and is now used for different things, not as a hotel anymore.
