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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Hotel Watertown / Badger Hotel
Proposed
(Never built)
WATERTOWN WILL HAVE
LARGE, NEW, MODERN HOTEL
The set of architectural drawings for the
proposed hotel is held by Maas Bros.
Contractors of Watertown.
___ 1923 __________________
10
15 NEW HOTEL FOR WATERTOWN /
HOTEL WATERTOWN
Badger Hotel Co.
backing project
A new hotel is
assured Watertown and work on its construction will begin this fall, according
to J. S. Miller of Madison, member of the J. S. Miller Realty Co., and M.
F. Blumenfeld of Madison, who were in the city today conferring with
Watertown business men in connection with the plans for its construction.
The project is
backed by the Wisconsin Hotel company and the projectors claim that no better
site for a first-class hotel exists in southern Wisconsin than Watertown, which
with its fine railroad facilities and newly constructed state trunk highways in
the center of a vase and rich country.
Mr. Blumenfeld
has given the project attention for the past eighteen months and it is in great
measure due to his efforts that Watertown was selected for the site of this
hotel.
The hotel will be
erected on the property owned by Mrs. Bertha Feld on the northwest corner of North Second
Street where it intersects Madison Street
and will be 66 ½
x 108 feet in dimension. It will contain
88 rooms and be constructed of Watertown brick with Bedford stone trimmings and
will be strictly modern throughout, consisting of five stories and a basement.
It will be known
as Hotel Watertown, and
the preliminary blue prints together with a sketch were shown today at the office of C. R. Blumenfeld.
The work of building, according to Mr. Miller,
will start this fall and will be pushed to rapid completion.
Watertown labor and materials will be used
wherever it is possible to obtain them.
The hotel is being financed by the Badger
Hotel Co. and Watertown will not be asked to subscribe stock or bonds unless
they wish to do so, it is said.
The site selected will give adequate
facilities for the parking of cars and allowance of daylight from all sided of
the hotel.
When the final blue prints are made a cut of
the new structure together with detailed plans for the building will be
published. WDTimes
^
click to enlarge ^
Set of architectural
drawings digitized by the Watertown Historical Society.
Drawings/blueprints
are held by Maas Bros. Contractors
of Watertown
in light of their bidding (assumed)
on this proposed development.
Elevation on N. Second St. (portion) Elevation
on Madison St.
^
click to enlarge ^
___ 1923 __________________
10 15 WATERTOWN WILL HAVE LARGE, NEW, MODERN HOTEL
Wire story article of 10 15 1923: Watertown. Wis. -- A five story modern hotel,
one block from Main Street, will be added to Watertown's downtown section and
work on the structure, which will be the tallest in the city, will begin before
winter, it was announced by J. S. Miller and M. E. Blumenfeld of Madison, who
were in the city conferring with Watertown business men regarding the project.
The project is backed by the Wisconsin Hotel
company and Watertown will not be asked to subscribe stock or bonds or give a
single penny toward the building of the hotel.
The hotel, which is to be known as the Hotel
Watertown, will be erected on North Second street, directly across from the post
office on the property now owned by the widow of the late Dr. Carl R. Feld,
formerly city health commissioner here. It will contain eighty-eight rooms and
consist of five stories and basement. It will be constructed of Watertown brick
and as far as possible will be built by home labor.
The site for the hotel is one of the best in
the city. It gives ample space for the parking of automobiles and is centrally
located. While off the main business streets it will be a quiet place as far as
streetcar traffic concerned and will be doubly comfortable for patrons.
___ 1924 __________________
02 13 REPRESENTATIVE SAYS NEW HOTEL HERE IS ASSURED
Asked to confirm the report that there was a
revival of the hotel project as outlined to the local public last fall,
Attorney Chas. R. Blumenfeld this morning stated:
''There is no revival of the project, for the reason that things have been going right along with
the proposition and it
is more than a project — it is a decided fact. The delay in announcing a definite time to
commence building operations has been due to the drawing up of plans, specifications and other details, but the building of an
up-to-date hotel in Watertown is an assured fact. No one in the city will be asked to donate
towards the building. Of
course it is desirous that local people give their moral support and I
expect that if they wish to buy stock in the enterprise they may do so, but the
corporation which has retained me to handle the matter here is amply able to
carry out its plans. It is in the hotel
business and the venture here is one of three hotels to be built by the company
during the ensuing spring and summer.
One will be erected.in West Allis, one in Kenosha and the third in
Watertown. Plans and specifications of
the new building are expected to arrive here today.” WDTimes
09 20 ADVERTISE FOR BIDS TO ERECT NEW
WATERTOWN
HOTEL / BADGER HOTEL
That Watertown’s modern hotel will be an
accomplished fact within another year seems apparent according to an
advertisement calling for bids for the construction of such a building, in
another column of today’s paper.
The Badger Hotel company is behind the
proposition and B. E. Buckman Co. of Madison, it is stated, will finance
it. A representative of the Buckman Co.
said this morning: “The
company would like to get started on the construction work not later than
October 15 and have the building finished not later than the first of June,
1925.
The site of the hotel has not been finally
determined, abstracts of several properties being now in the hands of attorneys
investigating the titles. The building
will cost, it is estimated, $275,000 and it will be called the Badger Hotel. WDTimes
___ 1925 __________________
01 26 WHY THE BADGER HOTEL WAS NOT BUILT
The Wisconsin State Journal, which
mentioned a lawsuit against M. H. Blumenfeld and J. S. Miller, real estate men,
for a bad check that was issued to draw up plans for a prospective hotel in
Watertown, almost certainly the Watertown Hotel (Badger Hotel).
Moritz Blumenfeld was born in Wisconsin in
1859 and was the son of David Blumenfeld, publisher of the Watertown Weltburger. David was a well-known businessman in the
community and active in local affairs.
Cross reference notes:
> Location of
proposed Badger Hotel
became that of Powers Inn (Watertown
Inn, Elias)
> Three Watertown Daily Times “Times Square” columns
”Times Square” column of 11 05 2021
”Times Square” column of 11 19 2021
”Times Square” column of 12 01 2021
They designed the project on the square around the same time, which is
iconic (Anthony Earl contribution)…
https://www.emporis.com/.../belmont-hotel-madison-wi-usa
https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/affaa1cb-0d89-4bae-a05b-0b0011376fcc
History of Watertown, Wisconsin