The Gibson House was a well-known and well-regarded hotel in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

, and the precursor of the Hotel Gibson. The Gibson House was located on Main St. between 4th & 5th (south of Fountain Square) until the 1970s.

History

The Gibson House was opened about February 1849 on Walnut Street between Fourth and Fifth Street, on the west side of the street, in

Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

. The first proprietors were J.K. and D.V. Bennett. It was considered the "best house in the city" within a year. The hotel was financed by Peter Gibson, a Scottish immigrant who was born October 20, 1802, and emigrated to America in 1831. Many wall decorations and frescoes were painted by the artist William A. Thien, who lived in Cincinnati for a time. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Gibson House was used as an

internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

for German-Americans. During the first season of professional baseball, on several occasions the fans would meet the

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867� ...

baseball team and escort them to the Gibson House where celebrations and banquets were held. The House was often used to greet VIPs who visited Cincinnati, such as

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...

, who visited Cincinnati September 15, 1877. The original Gibson House was demolished in 1912 after being destroyed by fire and was redeveloped as the Sheraton-Gibson hotel. John F. Kennedy stayed there during his 1960 presidential campaign. The Sheraton-Gibson closed on July 15, 1974. The hotel was demolished in 1977 to make way for a new hotel complex.

References

External links

Image of original Gibson HouseLink to 1860 Gibson House menu - University of Houston Digital Library
{{coord, 39.100625, -84.512233, display=title, format=dms 1977 disestablishments in Ohio Hotels in Cincinnati History of Cincinnati Demolished buildings and structures in Ohio Demolished hotels in the United States Buildings and structures demolished in 1977