| What makes it historical? |
Built in 1916, the Van Gilder Hotel is the oldest surviving hotel in Seward! It was originally an office building, but in 1921, it shifted purposes, still boasting hot and cold water, and indoor heating by down draft boiler! Its founder, E.L. Van Gilder, moved up to Seward in the early days of the railroad, anticipating that it would become a big city, but he lost a lot of money on this office building venture and had to sell the building to banker, Charles Brown, in late 1916. The hotel changed hands and names many times until the 1960s, when Frances and Bill O’ Brien took ownership of the hotel and renamed it in honor of its creator! |
