HENRIETTA HOTEL

NICHOLSON , ARCHITECT, ST. CATHARINES

[People’s Press, 13 February 1912]

                The above is the front elevation of the new Henrietta Hotel, which is to be erected in Welland this spring. The hotel will cost about $200,000 and will be modern in all its appointments. The contracts for the erection of the building will be let in few weeks, possibly at an earlier date.

                The officers of the company are-President, Wellington Downing, Erie, Pa., vice-president, C.J. Laughlin, jr., Welland; treasurer, G.C. Moore, Welland.

                The design above submitted was prepared by A.E. Nicholson, St. Catharines.

             Five stories and basement

             117 bedrooms

             Dining room 34×80 feet

             Rotunda 38×92 feet

             Ball room 34×80 feet

             These are a few of the outstanding features gleaned from the plans of the Henrietta Hotel to be erected in Welland this year. The plans are on exhibit in the window of the Laughlin Realty Company, Limited, and are well worth the inspection of the citizens of Welland, for the structure to be built should be not only be one of the greatest boons, but also one of the most effective advertisements that Welland will have.

             A photograph of the stately front appears above, and will at once appeal to the lover of beauty in architecture. There is an aristocratic air to the building that stamps it as an institution of the highest class, which it will be. The cost is estimated at from $125,000 to $150,000, and the furnishings will bring the total up to $200,000.

             The front as shown in the photo is 100 feet wide and the height of the building from the street line to the peak of the tower is about 125 feet. The depth of the building in 133 ft. Just grasp these dimensions and get an idea of the size of the new hotel.

             The beauty of the design will be enhanced by the materials used in the construction. The entire structure is to be built of white terra cotta, the most beautiful of all modern building materials and thoroughly in keeping with the style of the building. The roof will be tiled, completing a rich and harmonious combination.

             The Henrietta Hotel will be by all odds the finest and most beautiful building in Welland.

             There are five balconies for the second floor at the front, one side and rear, and balconies are provided for the third and fourth floors at the rear also. The porte cochere is shown at the extreme right side of the picture.

             The entrance in the centre leads directly to the magnificent rotunda 38×92 feet, which occupies the centre of the first floor. This is roofed with glass and above it is the open court, the floors above being built around it. The entrance at the left of the picture leads to the bar-room, which is 16×42, and in the rear of that are smoking rooms, etc. The ladies entrance at the opposite side, where the fair sex are provided with a parlor on the first floor. In the rear of this is the spacious dining room 30×80 feet. The ladies are also provided with a reception room, nursery and music room on the second floor.

             No feature is omitted, for in the basement is a splendid ball room 34×80 feet, with dressing rooms, billiard room etc., in connection. In the basement is also located the kitchen, beer and wine cellars, servants’ hall and dining room, cold storage and other rooms.

             Two elevators are provided, one for the employees and one for the guests.

             There are 117 bedrooms, all with running hot and and cold water, and a large proportion with baths in connection. Provision is also made to throw rooms en suite. The open court in the centre of the building makes all the bedrooms outside rooms. All floors are liberally equipped with toilets and baths.

             The accommodations of the modern hotel to cater to the wants of those seeking luxury, to facilitate the transaction of business by the man of the world, in fact to provide for every possible whim or desire of its guests, are all to be found in the Henrietta Hotel.

             The officers of the Henrietta Hotel Co. are: President, Wellington Downing of Erie, Pa.; vice-president, C.J. Laughlin, jr.; secretary-treasurer, G.S. Moore; directors, above officers, with A.M. Moseley and G.W. Sutherland.

             There is somewhat of a story in connection with the establishment of the big hotel in Welland. To a certain extent the institution is intended as a memorial to Mr. Downing’s mother, whose name was Henrietta. Mr. Downing is furnishing the capital with which to finance the proposition. Some time ago he built a splendid hotel at Erie, called the Gerome, which was named after his father.

A LAUGHLIN PROJECT

             The Henrietta Hotel can really be termed another Laughlin project. It was owing to the fact that Mr. Downing is a close personal friend of C.J. Laughlin that induced the former to consider Welland as the site for the Henrietta Hotel.

             It is a very evident fact that Providence conferred a great favor on Welland when Mr. Laughlin was guided this way, for, in addition to the project described the street railway which he has promoted will supply another of the greatest needs of our young city. This railway company is known as the Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway Company. Its officers and directors are: Henry C. Scholfield, M.P.P. Of Guelph, Ontario, president; Mr. C.J. Laughlin, jr., Welland, vice-president and managing director; H. Rooke of Toronto, Ontario, secretary-treasurer. Directors-W.W. Near, president of Page-Hersey Iron Tube & Lead Co., Toronto; W.W. Butler, vice-president of Canadian Car & Foundries, Ltd., Montreal; H. Rooke, secretary-treasurer of Page-Hersey Iron Tube & Lead Co., Toronto, Henry C. Scholfield, M.P.P., and C.J. Laughlin, jr. It is the intention of the company to compete the entire line as soon as weather permits.

             Mr. C.J. Laughlin has also organized the Laughlin Realty, Limited, with a capital of $100,000.00, which company has purchased five large blocks of land in, and adjacent to, the town. Great judgment was exercised in purchasing these different properties, as they are among some of the best buildings in and around Welland. The officers and directors of the Laughlin Realty, Limited, are: C.J. Laughlin, jr., president; Henry C. Scholfield, M.P.P., vice-president, and H. Rooke, secretary-treasurer. Directors-W.W. Near, Henry C. Scholfield, M.P.P., and C.J. Laughlin, jr. These are practically the same men owning and controlling the Niagara, Welland & Lake Erie Railway Company. The Laughlin Realty Co. has opened a Toronto branch at 32 Adelaide St.

             Mr. Laughlin’s chief business has been the conducting of large real estate sales in all parts of the States, and in every case the investors have made splendid profits. A big sale was put on at Dunkirk, just across Lake Erie, and the lots have doubled and trebled in value since Mr. Laughlin’s disposed of them.

             In his wide acquaintance Mr. Laughlin has been closely associated with many prominent business and financial men, and Welland may look forward to profiting still further from this connection, as Mr. Laughlin, after having a choice of many of the best centres on the continent, has decided to make his permanent home here. His opinion of Welland is expressed as follows-

             “From the date of my first visit to the town I was greatly impressed with the transportation facilities, cheap power, natural gas, excellent water supply, and its general geographical position. There is also a live and hustling community of business men, which means a great deal to a town. I have interests in many towns of greater size than Welland, but cannot think of one that possesses the combined business facilities that you have here. Realizing that the next twenty-five to fifty years growth belongs to Canada, I decided that Welland afforded the best opportunity for business of any kind, in fact, better than any other city of town in the Dominion. I believe that Welland, inside of five years, will more than triple its population.”