Plans are in the making for a new downtown hotel in Rutland. Reading about it prompted me to think about the lodging options available to people in the 1950s when I was growing up. My friend Mary Jane and I took a fun trip down memory lane, recalling the places we could remember. But to get the “full picture,” I looked at the Rutland directory for 1955.
There were three downtown hotels: the Berwick on Center Street, the Bardwell Hotel on Merchants Row, and the Hotel Hamilton on the corner of West Street and Evelyn Street.
Since both the Berwick and Bardwell could accommodate about 200 guests, they had amenities, such as a restaurant and lounge, that the smaller hotels in Rutland couldn’t offer.
But not everyone wanted a room in a large hotel, and for those who didn’t, there were a surprising number of choices. The 1955 Rutland directory listed over 20 places where rooms were available.
In addition to hotels, large homes served as guest houses for visitors. The majority of them were on the city’s main routes.
On North Main Street, there was Wheeler-Williams, which offered rooms and a wonderful restaurant. By 1964, Ernie and Willa Royal opened Royal’s Hearthside Restaurant in this location and remained in business until 1994. The Main Street Motel was next door to Wheeler-Williams, which was convenient as their guests could walk next door for meals.
Across the street at 44 North Main was the Colonial Guest House, owned by Perley Eaton. Aldous Funeral Home is now at this address.
Just a few doors up at 48 North Main was Reynolds Guest House, with Mrs. Elizabeth Reynolds as proprietor. The directory noted she was Ralph’s widow. I noticed a trend during the 1950s for women to be listed as the owners of “guest houses” in Rutland. I’m not sure that a female would feel comfortable today advertising herself a widow opening her house to just anyone. Today’s world is not like it was back in 1955!
You had to travel up to 138 North Main to find the next source of lodging. The Green-Mont Motel advertised 24 rooms with private baths and electric radiant heat with controls in each room.
At 166 North Main, you would find the Candlestick Inn. Mr. and Mrs. William Sargent were the proprietors. The inn offered both rooms and cabins. The “ski lodge” rooms were open all year, but the cabins were available only from May to November.
The North Main Street lodging options ended at 197 North Main with The Viking, which was advertised as a place for “tourists.”
South Main Street also had its share of rooms to offer. The first place was Burke Haven at 26 South Main. It was a house owned by Mrs. Eda Burke located just a couple of houses down from Mansfield Place. A short distance from Burke Haven was Parkview Tourist Home at 48 SouthMain, on the corner of Spellman Terrace. Like the Burke house, it was large enough to serve as a destination for tourists.
Continuing the trend of large homes offering rooms was Hill’s Restover Nite, next door to Parkview at 52 South Main. The Shadow Lawn, across from Christ the King School at 61 South Main, offered lodging.
Just a short distance down the street was the Clifford Tourist Home at 73 South Main. It was a large white house like Shadow Lawn.
Across the street at 76 South Main was Hotel Brock. It was smaller than the Bardwell or Berwick but was a fairly large hotel compared to the private houses on South Main St that offered rooms. The proprietor was Thomas Eddy. The last hotel on South Main back in 1955 was The New Sunset Motel at 238 South Main. The adjective “new” is a mystery as the directory has no evidence of that hotel existing prior to 1955. So, it appears to be “new” in that respect!
Heading east on another of Rutland’s busy streets, you could find four motels on Woodstock Avenue. Their locations appealed to skiers as they were en route to Pico and Killington, and their rates were probably considerably lower than lodging on the mountain.
The first motel you came to was the Royal Motel at 115 Woodstock Avenue. It was a 2-story L-shaped motel with 28 rooms. Appropriate to the 50s was their sign out front saying that TV was offered and phones were in each room.
Just up the street was the Rutland Motel at 125 Woodstock Avenue. This was also a 2-story motel. Apparently, people who were not guests could eat there because there was a sign out front that said: “Breakfast now being served.”
On the other side of Woodstock Avenue and up a little way was Blue Star Motel at 152 Woodstock Avenue. This was the smallest of the hotels on Woodstock Avenue. They offered a kitchenette and picnic area.
The last motel on Rte 4 East extended just past Woodstock Avenue and was called the Bellevue Motel. It was located in Rutland Town, near Post Road.
There were also rooms available in places off the “beaten path” instead of on Routes 4 and Route 7.
Upper Center Street had two lodging options: Quigley’s Guest House at 88 Center Street, with Mary Quigley as the proprietor, and Little’s Lodge, two houses away. The directory showed Telma and Orren Little as proprietors. They mentioned a gift shop on the premises and stated they had rooms for tourists and “businessmen!”
Cottage Street, which abuts the downtown area of West Street, also offered rooms. 22 Cottage and 38 Cottage were both houses with rooms for rent. Minnie Holmes, widow of Judson Holmes, was the proprietor of 22 Cottage, and Maude Handley, widow of Frank Hanley, owned 38 Cottage.
