Cozzens House Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Cozzens House Hotel, later known as the Canfield House, was a pioneer hotel
located at 9th & Harney Streets in downtown
Omaha
, Nebraska
. Constructed in by Union Pacific promoter George Francis Train
, the 120 room hotel cost $60,000 to build in 1867. The hotel was widely regarded as the finest hotel between Chicago, Illinois and San Francisco, California
when it was constructed.
in Omaha when a windstorm hit the building. Train requested an African American
steward in the hotel to stand with his back to the window he was sitting by, fearing the wind would blow it in and expecting the steward to block the glass with his own body. The hotel steward objected, and Train became angry and declared he would build a better hotel within 60 days. The Cozzens House Hotel, which was called the "Aladdin
's Castle of George Francis Train", was his response.
That same day Train bought the lot across the street from the Herndon House and secured a builder for the facility. Asking the builder how much it would cost to make a three-story, 120 room establishment, the builder replied $1000 a day. Train said, "Show me you are worth it. I will be back to Omaha in 60 days and expect to sleep in the building." The building was finished upon his return. The building was a three story frame structure in the shape of a T, the front part being 132 feet (40.2 m) long by thirty-two feet wide, and the rear extension is 100 feet (30.5 m) long and fifty feet wide.
Train, whose financing operation called Credit Foncier owned the building, leased it to the Cozzens Hotel of West Point, New York
for $10,000 a year. They kept it for just a year, when they became involved in a lawsuit with the Omaha National Bank that eventually led to their departure.
A local man named Philo Rumsey ran it until 1871, and then closed it. The building then sat empty for ten years afterwards, when J. D. Iler and James G. Chapman bought it in 1881. They rehabilitated the building, adding a brick basement and redesigning the interior. New windows, new chimneys and a new tin roof covered the entire building. A porch was added at the main entrance. At this point the hotel was lit by gas, supplied with hot and cold water, freight and passenger elevators, and regarded as first-class. The building contained 125 rooms after the $15,000 reconstruction. A Nebraska hotelier named George Canfield then ran it from 188 until 1894, renaming it the "Canfield House."
From 1895 to 1902 the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary
was located in the former hotel. It was replaced when the Seminary built a facility in the Kountze Place
suburb of North Omaha in 1902. The building was demolished later that year.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
located at 9th & Harney Streets in downtown
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Constructed in by Union Pacific promoter George Francis Train
George Francis Train
George Francis Train was an entrepreneurial businessman who organized the clipper ship line that sailed around Cape Horn to San Francisco; he organized the Union Pacific Railroad and the Credit Mobilier in the United States, and a horse tramway company in England while there during the American...
, the 120 room hotel cost $60,000 to build in 1867. The hotel was widely regarded as the finest hotel between Chicago, Illinois and San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
when it was constructed.
History
In May 1867 Train was at the Herndon HouseHerndon House
The Herndon House, later known as the International Hotel and then the Union Pacific Headquarters, was an early hotel located at Ninth and Farnam Streets in present-day Downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1858 by Omaha pioneer Dr. George L. Miller along with several associates, it was financed by...
in Omaha when a windstorm hit the building. Train requested an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
steward in the hotel to stand with his back to the window he was sitting by, fearing the wind would blow it in and expecting the steward to block the glass with his own body. The hotel steward objected, and Train became angry and declared he would build a better hotel within 60 days. The Cozzens House Hotel, which was called the "Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
's Castle of George Francis Train", was his response.
That same day Train bought the lot across the street from the Herndon House and secured a builder for the facility. Asking the builder how much it would cost to make a three-story, 120 room establishment, the builder replied $1000 a day. Train said, "Show me you are worth it. I will be back to Omaha in 60 days and expect to sleep in the building." The building was finished upon his return. The building was a three story frame structure in the shape of a T, the front part being 132 feet (40.2 m) long by thirty-two feet wide, and the rear extension is 100 feet (30.5 m) long and fifty feet wide.
Train, whose financing operation called Credit Foncier owned the building, leased it to the Cozzens Hotel of West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
for $10,000 a year. They kept it for just a year, when they became involved in a lawsuit with the Omaha National Bank that eventually led to their departure.
A local man named Philo Rumsey ran it until 1871, and then closed it. The building then sat empty for ten years afterwards, when J. D. Iler and James G. Chapman bought it in 1881. They rehabilitated the building, adding a brick basement and redesigning the interior. New windows, new chimneys and a new tin roof covered the entire building. A porch was added at the main entrance. At this point the hotel was lit by gas, supplied with hot and cold water, freight and passenger elevators, and regarded as first-class. The building contained 125 rooms after the $15,000 reconstruction. A Nebraska hotelier named George Canfield then ran it from 188 until 1894, renaming it the "Canfield House."
From 1895 to 1902 the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary
The Presbyterian Theological Seminary was located at 3303 North 21st Place in North Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1891, the institution was closed in 1943.-History:...
was located in the former hotel. It was replaced when the Seminary built a facility in the Kountze Place
Kountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...
suburb of North Omaha in 1902. The building was demolished later that year.