Bancroft Hotel - Worcester MA
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nomadwillie
N 42° 15.672 W 071° 48.102
19T E 268912 N 4682578
Bancroft Hotel is a historic hotel at 50 Franklin Street in Worcester, Massachusetts
It was built in 1912 by Esenwein & Johnson in a Beaux Arts style. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Waymark Code: WM929K
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 06/17/2010
Views: 3
Bancroft Hotel from 1923, Description from old postcard: One of the model 800 room hotels of the world, embodying in its construction, features for the convenience luxury, and satisfaction of it's patrons for years to come. It is the center of social life in Worcester, being built in 1912-13.
The Sheraton Chain bought the hotel in 1942. In 1955 the name was changed back to the Bancroft. In 1964 it was converted to commercial and apartment use in 1964.
A story of the Bancroft Hotel
My father was the Supervisor of Services at the Sheraton Bancroft Hotel for many years. Our family saw it at its best and watched its slow decline into a urban hotel trying to compete with suburban motels. The hotel was the center of social and business activities in the City. Many weddings, family celebrations and city events took place in the Grand Ballroom. Also Worcester was an industrial power house and most business functions were held in the hotel. I remember my father telling me about the Hawkers (salesmen) coming to Union Station and the hotel transporting them to register. People should remember that for many years Worcester had extremely low unemployment and very high savings per capita. The City was alive with activity and it offered business people many amenities. The were many people coming to the City to do business with Norton's, Heald Machine, Wyman Gordon, American Steel & Wire, and the retail community. There is nothing left of that Worcester and the City is much poorer for it. I wish every young person could experience the excitement of walking through a two story grand hotel lobby with all its activity and people dressed in their up to date business clothes and/or their finest fashions preparing for daily business or a major social event.
Johnson formed a partnership with the German born and trained architect August Esenwein. From its inception in 1897 Esenwein & Johnson was one of the most successful architectural firms of the time and is credited with the design of many buildings that have become Buffalo landmarks. These include the Niagara Mohawk Building, the United Office Building in Niagara Falls, New York, the Ellicott Square Building and various buildings for the Pan-American Exposition notably the Temple of Music (infamous as the site where President William McKinley was assassinated). Esenwein & Johnson designed many buildings for the United Hotels Company, which was the largest hotel chain in the country at the time.
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