Historic Hotel is 85 years young in 2010
Salem, MA-“And me, myself personally, in order for there to be any kind of longevity there’s gotta be some history,” said American soul performer Edwin Starr. Celebrating 85 years as a legend on the North Shore in 2010, Hawthorne Hotel certainly knows what it is like to have some history!
Beginning in 1923, the Salem Chamber of Commerce and the Salem Rotary began arrangements to build a “modern hotel for Salem.” After more than half a million dollars worth of stock was sold, construction began on the hotel, designed by architect Philip Horton Smith. At the time, it was the largest Colonial Revival structure in Salem. Some of our notable architectural features include: corner quoins, Palladian windows, and recessed arched windows – designs popular in Georgian and Federal-style buildings.
Named after celebrated Salem author Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote House of Seven Gables and The Scarlet Letter, the hotel has been home to book signings and many poetry and book readings. With modern stories like Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (published in 2008 by HarperCollins) that include the Hawthorne Hotel within its pages, our connection to the literary world has been sealed.
Over the years, the Hawthorne Hotel has hosted many well-known personalities including newsman Walter Cronkite, actress Betty Davis, General Colin Powell, former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. In 1984, Vanessa Redgrave made the hotel her home for a month while making Three Sovereigns for Sarah, a PBS movie about the Salem Witch Trials.
It was the television series Bewitched that brought the Hawthorne Hotel the most notoriety. In 1970, Elizabeth Montgomery, her real-lie husband and the show’s producer Bill Asher and the rest of the cast and crew stayed at the hotel for several weeks while filming episodes in and around Salem.
Just recently, two television shows were filmed in the hotel-the popular Canadian show Chris & John to the Rescue and TLC’s What Not to Wear held the Reveal Party for their fashion victim in the 2010 season opener.
And the Hawthorne Hotel has already got a lot goin’ on in 2010-and that includes some renovations! Carpeting, TVs and more! Look for the days of the Grand Hotel!
Watch for more press releases filled with interesting facts and trivia about Hawthorne Hotel’s weddings and restaurant events, special promotions such as a special $85 room rate in honor of our 85th Birthday, updates on our renovations, and much more! Interviews and photos available.
Designated an “Historic Hotel of America,” the Hawthorne provides every amenity a “modern” traveler could desire and continues to welcome thousands of visitors every year. The hotel is 15 miles north of Boston and easily accessible from many major routes.
Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Historic Hotels has identified 191 hotels that have faithfully maintained their historic integrity, architecture and ambiance. To be selected for this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or recognized as having historic significance.