Galena Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fox River House
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Galena Hotel in 2011
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 166 W. Galena Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, United States |
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| Built | 1862 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000710 |
| Added to NRHP | May 4, 1976 |
The Galena Hotel, originally known as the Fox River House, is a very old and important hotel in Aurora, Illinois. It's special because it's the oldest hotel still standing in the city today!
Contents
The Galena Hotel's Long History
Aurora's Early Days
Back in the 1850s, Aurora was a very busy place. It was a big center for making things and grinding grain in the Fox River valley. A famous road, the Galena–Chicago trail, passed right through town. This road was used by stagecoaches traveling from Chicago to northwestern Illinois. It helped bring lots of business and people to Aurora.
Building the First Fox River House
The very first Fox River House hotel was built in 1857. It was located right along this important stagecoach road. A. N. and G. Pierce were the people who built it. Sadly, a fire destroyed this first hotel in 1860.
A New Beginning for the Hotel
Two years later, in 1862, a man named E. D. Huntoon bought the empty land. He decided to rebuild the hotel. This new hotel quickly became a very important meeting spot for people in the area. Mr. Huntoon ran the hotel for twenty-six years before he sold it.
A Hotel of Many Names
Over the years, the hotel changed its name several times. In 1888, the new owner renamed it the Northwestern Hotel. Then, in 1907, a Mrs. Jones bought it and called it the Grand Hotel. Finally, in 1961, the Koummoutseas family purchased the hotel. They gave it the name it still has today: the Galena Hotel.
A Historic Landmark
The Galena Hotel is the oldest hotel that is still standing in Aurora. Because of its long history and importance, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 4, 1976. This means it's recognized as a special building worth protecting.
What the Hotel Looks Like
The building is four stories tall, and it also has a basement. The bricks and limestone used to build it were made and dug up right there in the local area. Most of the outside of the building still looks very much like it did when it was first built. Only the fourth floor still has its original design inside. In 1997, Nawab Khurram Khan and Dr. Shuja ul-Mulk bought the hotel from Besey Koummoutseas.
