Hotel Churchill article
Hotel Churchill of New York City
By Karen Cuccinello
The Stamford Village Library history room has three hotel registers dated 1909,1914 and 1920 from the Hotel Churchill. At first glance I thought they were from Churchill Hall and thought wow but then upon further inspection figured out they were from NYC so wrapped them up and put them out of the way. Every so often I would glance at them and try to figure out the connection to Stamford, NY then wrap them up again. After seeing a photo postcard of the hotel on ebay, I decided to dig into it.
Hotel Churchill located at Broadway and 14th Streets, Manhattan was built by Cortland Palmer, Esq. as a top-of-the-line hotel in 1848 and named the Union Place Hotel (nightly stay was $2.50) then became Ryan’s Union Place Hotel in 1871 and in 1880 became the Morton House through 1904. It was said to be a haven for theatrical people, sports figures and politicians.
December 1904 (NY Post)- Lease of the Morton House negotiated for the Courtlandt Palmer estate to Messers Churchill Bros. proprietors of the St. George Hotel for a term of 9 years and 4 months aggregate rental of nearly $1,500,000. The new proprietors will furnish the hotel throughout and rename to Hotel Churchill- ready to open March 1, 1905.
Throughout Hotel Churchill’s lifetime (1905-1922), any mention of it in the newspapers was almost always followed by “the old Morton House”. Frequent local visitors to the hotel were S.E./Dr. Stephen Churchill, the Mase brothers Starr and Herbert, John P. Grant, A.J. Churchill (the father of the proprietors and proprietor of the St. George Hotel), Mrs. Emory A. Chase/Mary (sister of the proprietors), H.P. Hubbell, H.S. Griffin and H.L. Tompkins. Sometimes the register would list people as having a room at the St. George. On average they rented out about 30 rooms per night to people from all over the USA and the world, and quite a few Navy sailors and Follies Girls.
June 1905 (Windham Journal)- Hotel Churchill at Union Square, New York- A Clean, Comfortable, Convenient and Homelike Hotel on the American and European Plans. American Plan, $2 Per day and up. European Plan, $1 Per Day, special Weekly Rates. Churchill & Co. They advertised the same prices in 1914. The American plan included meals.
The Hotel Churchill was owned by cousins, of some kind, (I could not figure out the exact connection, try as I might but there is a connection) of Dr. Stephen E. Churchill. They were brothers John S.(B: about 1857), Frank Gilbert (1863-1915) and James. Edwin (1878-1937) born to Addison Jesse (1836-1916) and Mary Elizabeth (Houghtaling) Churchill (1840-1894) in Prattsville, NY.
Their father Addison was a prosperous farmer, stage coach proprietor in the 1860’s, merchant, Sheriff of Greene County (1879-1882), proprietor of the St. George Hotel corner of Broadway and 12th Street NYC from 1892 to about 1905 and proprietor of the Cold Spring in Stamford from about 1907 until his death. The Cold Spring had been operated by Addison’s brother Andrew L. Churchill, for 30 years, up until his death in 1907.
John, often referred to as Capt. John, was sporadically involved in the hotel business with his brothers. In 1889 he and partners incorporated the Catskill Ferry Company at Catskill, NY on the Hudson River. From 1892-1896 he was working at the St. George Hotel. In 1897 he is appointed Captain of the steamer McManus of the Catskill Line. In 1906 he resigned his position as captain of the Kaaterskill to go into the hotel business with his brothers. A 1911 Stamford Mirror-Recorder tid-bit states John of Hotel Churchill, has been spending a few days with his father, A. J. Churchill, at Cold Spring House. On May 6, 1911 fire of a threatening character broke out in the basement of the Hotel Churchill, damage estimated at not more than $26,000. In a newspaper clipping dated 1916 through the 1940 census he lists his address as Colchester, CT.
Frank appears to be in NYC in 1887 as he marries Helen Gilfillan there. In the 1900 census, for Manhattan, he is living with his father and step-mother at the Hotel St. George and working as a desk clerk. February 1903 he and C. N. Wright of Grand Gorge, formed a partnership and leased the Hotel Bradford, 65 East 11th St., New York for a term of five years. During the first week of March 1915 Frank was hit by a car and died three weeks later, age 52. His obituary lists him and his brother James as the proprietors of the Hotel Churchill. James carries on as sole proprietor for another seven years.
In 1880 James, age 2, is with his parents in Catskill, NY. In the 1910 census Manhattan- Frank G. Churchill age 47 hotel proprietor, Helen 48, James E. 32 brother hotel proprietor, Marjorie L. 24 sister-in-law. His 1917-18 WWI registration card listed James as living at 856 Broadway, NYC, age 40, hotel proprietor. Nearest relative is his wife Jessie (Smith) Churchill. Description tall with blue eyes.
On June 29,1921 The 135 room old Hotel Churchill was sold at public auction for $1,420,000.
The hotel was a clothing and furniture store etc. after the sale and was torn down in the 1960’s or so. The demise of the hotel industry was due in part because of prohibition.
James purchased the Ye Olde Delaware Inn in Stamford from Chas. N. Wright in 1922 and operated it until his death. He also owned the Eagle Hotel in Peekskill, NY briefly in 1923 and leased the Stamford Arms in 1928. He was a Stamford Village trustee in the early 1930’s and elected mayor in 1935.
Mayor James E. Churchill died in Stamford, aged 59 on December 2, 1937. Burial in Stamford Cemetery along side his wife Jessica who had died in 1935. (posted on findagrave.com)
Their only child James Jr. (1915-1992) operated the Delaware Inn for a time into the 1940’s.
Thanks to William Minifie of NYC, who has two article about Union Square online, for some information.
