Crittenden Hotel

The last hotel that Marion had in its city was known as the Crittenden Hotel.  Located on East Carlisle Street next to the Women's Club Building.  The Hotel was built after the great fire of 1905.  In it's day it was busy and popular place.  The picture at the right was made in 1976 as it was up for sale.  At the time there was mostly businesses in it's spaces.

 

The automobile spelled the death of the hotel.  When transient business started to drop off, rooms were rented out to permanent guests.  When the train was the main source of travel to the city, the old hotel would be full of guest from all over the United States.  The mining industry in the early 1920 and 30's would bring many an investor and explorer to town and here's where they would stay.  Business men and salesmen also kept the rooms full.  The hotel kept a horse drawn bus to meet the trains and carry visitors to the hotel.  In 1912 the horse was replaced with an auto-buggy with solid rubber tires.

In the 1940's the Crittenden Hotel was mostly known for it's food.  It had a well-known and popular dining room with long tables with white tablecloths, and good food and service.  The "place to dine" in Marion.

 

By the 1950's the hotel part was rented out as apartments and most of the rest of the building held businesses, such as a barber shop, dress shop and insurance office.

This picture was made in December of 1991 after a winter wind storm, and spelled the end to this historical landmark building.  The end result being the old building had to be completely torn down.

 

The area where this building stood is now a well manicured parking lot.