Waterville Hotel

About this property

The Waterville Hotel is a historic landmark and former hotel building in Waterville, Washington, United States. It was constructed in 1903. For several decades after it was erected in 1903, the Waterville Hotel was an important location in this small central Washington town. The hotel served as a center for social interaction. A group of investors formed a corporation in 1901 to build the hotel. The company was incorporated with a capital stock of from $10,000 to $12,000." Waterville was the Douglas County seat, and there were numerous people who came to town to transact business at the courthouse. The rooming houses, which served visitors were unable to meet the need. City officials deeded the public square to the new company for the hotel's site. As a convenient stop between Wenatchee and Coulee City on Highway 2, the new hotel became a weigh station for travelers, especially those not wishing to make a night drive down the steep, narrow, winding Pine Canyon Road to Wenatchee. The hotel was a popular stop for the tourists, salesmen, and politicians using Highway 2. The hotel was the town's social and civic center. Its large dining room was the scene of town meetings, political rallies, and social gatherings. Fraternal organizations and the Commercial Club used the hotel on a regular basis for business meetings and social events. A weekly dance met with a band and refreshments. The hotel was the site where crowds of 100 to 150 people would gather to meet, listen to speeches, and discuss current issues. Outside of farming, the hotel was a large commercial operation in the county. The building had 33 rooms, of which ten deluxe rooms shared a bath with only one other room. In the 1940’s, deluxe rooms cost $2.50 per night. Standard rooms cost $1.00 per night with clean sheets and towels and the use of a public bath at the end of the hall. From 1931 to 1943 the hotel was managed by Pearl and Clayton Mayo. Pearl was a good cook, and the hotel flourished. A typical menu consisted of three types of roasts: veal, beef, and pork; and for 50 cents a patron could select a dinner consisting of meat, potatoes, two vegetables, salad, and pie. Fourteen to sixteen pies were made each day. The "merchant's lunch" was quick and cost 35 cents. Summers were the busiest, rooms nearly full and over 65 dinners served daily. The winter months saw fewer overnight stays, but they would still average over 100 people over the course of a day in the dining room. In the summer visitors included tourists, salesmen, telephone linemen, state and county road crews, railroad executives, and officers of the Hypotheek Bank. The Dutch bank held many of the area farm mortgages. Single schoolteachers were often permanent guests. A chiropractor used his bedroom as an office and the Binyon Optical Company used the hotel as an operating base several times a month. The construction of Interstate 90 and changes in automobiles, and motel competition led to the decline in demand. It was finally closed in 1977.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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