The Bancroft Hotel is a historic hotel building at 50 Franklin Street in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

. Built in 1912 and expanded in 1925, it is one of the city's finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture, and was for many years its finest and most opulent hotel. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980. It has since been converted into luxury residences, and is called Bancroft on the Grid.

Description

The former Bancroft Hotel is located in downtown Worcester, on the south side of Franklin Street, facing the Worcester Common and City Hall to the north. It is a ten-story structure, with a steel frame faced in brick, terracotta, and stone. The ground floor presents an arcade of arches to both Franklin and Portland Streets, finished in marble. The second floor is a band of sash windows with elaborate terra cotta surrounds. The next five floors are uniform, with sash windows in rectangular openings. The bays at the corners are finished in light-colored stone, a contrast to the darker brick of the other bays. The eighth floor once again has more elaborate window treatments, and a detailed cornice separates it from the ninth, which is also crowned by a projecting cornice.

History

The Bancroft Hotel was built by

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

businessman

Frank A. Dudley Frank Alonzo Dudley (January 30, 1864 – September 21, 1945) was an American lawyer, politician, hotelier and business owner associated with Niagara Falls, New York. Dudley established the United Hotels Company of America and the "Lewiston He ...

and operated by the United Hotels Company. It was designed by

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

architects

Esenwein & Johnson Esenwein & Johnnson was an architectural firm of Buffalo, New York. Firm history It was a partnership of German-born August Esenwein (1856-1926) and James A. Johnson (1865-1939). The partnership was started in 1898; the firm designed "many of Bu ...

in the Beaux Arts style and was completed in 1912 at a cost of over $1.2 million (). The hotel was named for Worcester historian and politician

George Bancroft George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts and at the national and internati ...

. The Bancroft hosted a women's tea in April of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

's 1952 senatorial campaign against

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was an American diplomat and Republican United States senator from Massachusetts in both Senate seats in non-consecutive terms of service and a United States ambassador. He was considered ...

(who was also there that day). It was added to the

in 1980 and is currently tied as the 11th tallest building in Worcester. The building was operated as a hotel until 1964.

References

External links

The Grid - Buildings
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Beaux-Arts architecture in Massachusetts Hotel buildings completed in 1912 Buildings and structures in Worcester, Massachusetts Hotels established in 1912 National Register of Historic Places in Worcester, Massachusetts 1912 establishments in Massachusetts United Hotels Company of America Brick buildings and structures

Description

History

See also

References

External links