Some discussion has taken place on the Facebook group Albany...the way it was, regarding the former Washington Hotel located at the corner of Swan Street and Washington Avenue. The building was demolished in 1907 to make way for the State Education Building. Below will be a brief study on the Washington Hotel and a few other hotels in Albany that were run by German proprietors. This information is culled from my SUNY Albany 2005 MA Thesis,
From Acceptance to Renunciation: Das Ende von Albanys Deutschtum. During my research for this work I have accumulated a large amount of German-American history about Albany.
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| Henry Parr |
Many Germans proudly worked in the service sector of Albany’s various business entities. They provided board, entertainment, camaraderie, and Bier. German proprietors ran many halls, hotels, cafes, and Biergartens. German hotels were numerous in the downtown business section and also outside the city limits. According to Howell and Tenney, the first German hotel was the National Hotel situated across from Steamboat Square at 266 Broadway and run by former barber John Wachter.
[1] Wachter operated the hotel from 1848 until his death circa 1860. His wife, Catherine, then became proprietress until John Bissikummer (1843-1883) took control around 1868. Another early German hotel was Schweitzer’s Hotel, located on the corner of Lydius Street (now Madison Avenue) and Broadway. The hotel was listed in the Albany city directory of 1851-52. Outside the city limits, Henry Parr provided a fine assortment of wines, liquors, and cigars at the Abbey Hotel, located south of Albany on River Road (today Route 144) in the Bethlehem hamlet of Kenwood.
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| Abbey Hotel |
The landmark hotel offered accommodations for private parties, picnics, and social gatherings. The Abbey was “…famous for its marvelous German food and good draw of hops and malt.”
[2] The famous structure was said to have been built around 1680 and was in constant use until 1945, when it became vacant. The building became a ruin when it mysteriously collapsed in 1959 and was consequently razed for safety concerns.
[3] The Shafer’s Hotel and Family Resort also known as Shafer’s Grove was operated by Martin Shafer and was located at Central and Colvin Avenues; the present site of the Armory Garage complex. The grove was in operation from circa 1894 till 1924. It featured a swimming hole and an amusement park. The grounds were the setting for many German picnics and outings.
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| 1872 Ad |
The Hotel Germania, at 34 Beaver Street and summer Biergarten in the rear of the building was first managed by John Bissikummer from 1871 until his death on May 24, 1883. Bissikummer’s wife, Caroline [Wachter] (1847-1926), then operated the hotel until 1889. William Menk took charge next until 1892, when John Bissikummer Jr. (1869-1895) brought hotel proprietorship back to the Bissikummer family from 1892 to 1894. Theodore J. Gutekunst was the last manager of the Hotel Germania. He operated the hotel until 1901, when he opened the Hotel Washington, located at 93 Washington Avenue. Gutekunst ran the Hotel Washington only three years. Mrs. Bertha Klemp next took control of the 93 Washington Avenue locale, until 1906 when she opened a new hotel at 73 Whitehall Road. The Whitehall Road hotel was in operation until circa 1924.
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| Hotel Washington |
German proprietors sometimes moved from location to location. When this occurred, other German proprietors soon followed and established their businesses in the locale of a former German establishment. For instance, Michael Milhauser (1841-1935) ran a saloon at 49 Madison Avenue from 1887 to 1889. He relocated to 33 Green Street and opened the Württemberger Hof there from 1890 to 1891. William Firmbach next moved into 49 Madison Avenue and established the German Hotel between 1891 and 1892. After Milhauser left his 33 Green Street location, John Markert (1855-1920) moved into the locale and established Markert’s Hotel from 1892 to 1907.
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| Michael Milhauser |
Markert made lodging available weekly or daily board along with Dobler’s Lager, fine liquors, and cigars. Meanwhile, Milhauser moved to 68 Green Street and reopened the Württemberger Hof from 1892 to 1912. Nearby, at 29-31 Green Street, Nicholas Engel (died 30 July 1896) operated a restaurant known as the “The Best Lager.” The rear of the restaurant backed into John Bissikummer’s summer Biergarten at the rear of the Hotel Germania.
[4]
The Hotel Columbia was a first class German hotel and restaurant. It was located at 44 Beaver Street. Gustav Zinserling was the owner from 1892 to 1900. Louis Dube operated the hotel from 1901 to 1903 and John
B. Staats from 1904 to 1911.
The Schlitz Hotel and Rathskeller, operated by Phillip H. Kalkbrenner
(1863-1925) was located at 578-580 Broadway from 1897 until the 1930s.
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| Schlitz Hotel |
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| 1902 Ad |
Ernest Zeller (1827-1879) operated
the Progress Hotel at 93 Green Street from the early 1860s till 1873. He then became the operator of the Belvedere
House, sited at 39 Beaver Street, until his death. Zeller’s wife, Elizabeth, ran the hotel until
1892, when Nicholas J. Dell and Joseph Neuser took over.
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| 1894 Ad |
The Bavaria at 38 Beaver Street was
managed by Ernestine F. Gioth, in 1889 and 1890, until she moved to San
Francisco in 1890.
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| 1889 Ad |
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| Wilhelm Grandpré |
Other German hotels and cafes
included the Café Columbus, the Deutscher
Hotel, located at 270 Broadway, the Old Homestead Hotel and Restaurant,
which was run by Wilhelm Grandpré (1855-1922), who was also the president of
the local branch of the DANB. The hotel
was situated at 33 Hudson Avenue. Henry
Schuster (1840-1922) from Nordheim, Bavaria ran the Hotel Schuster at 199 South
Pearl Street from 1895 to 1900.
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