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The Hotel Easton History

History of The Former Hotel Easton, 140 Northampton St., Easton, Pa.

In the 1920s, many of Pennsylvania’s mid-sized cities such as Bethlehem, Allentown, York, Carlisle and Harrisburg competed with one another in the creation of downtown hotels.

 

These hotels were the focal point of their communities and often designed by important Philadelphia architects who brought contemporary styles and up-to-date layouts to these new buildings.

 

Easton became a part of this movement with the construction of the Hotel Easton, located on Northampton Street the city’s main business avenue. The Hotel Easton was an integral part of the early twentieth century downtown and today marks the continuing evolution of the 18th century village into the modern small city. As such, it denotes an important phase in the development of early twentieth century towns, as each tried to capture the architectural fashions and building types that represented the new modern world.

 

Built in 1926, “The Hotel Easton,” featured some of the day’s most contemporary architectural designs.  The Hotel Easton exemplified the architectural character of the age in its emphasis on modern forms within the frame of a traditional architectural style. The hotel, reaching a full ten stories in height, was constructed in a manner that mirrors elements of the Traymore Hotel in Atlantic City as well as the 1920s New York skyscraper form, largely reflecting the work of Robert Adam.

 

In its first fifty years of operation, The Hotel Easton was the site of weddings, conferences, and other events. As such, it quickly evolved into the chief building of the southeast corner of the city’s downtown, forming an important anchor of the historic district.

 

Abandoned in 1989, the hotel remained closed for nearly a generation with significant damage on the interior and upper levels. In 2004, the building was acquired and renovated as a condominium with great care for the surviving historic features, while combining the upper levels’ 170 hotel rooms into 30 apartments. This use has restored numerous elements of the original building as well as retaining its original elevator lobbies.

 

Despite the shift from hotel to condominium and now back to a hotel again, the building retains a high degree of integrity that renders it a marvelous contribution to its historic district.

 

For more information about the history of the hotel, visit http://www.eastonhotelrestoration.com/the-historic-hotel-easton/.
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