Hotel Kewanee
Encyclopedia
The Hotel Kewanee was a hotel in downtown Kewanee, Illinois
, located at 125 North Chestnut Street.
The Hotel Kewanee was built in 1916 and operated as a hotel until the early 2000s. It is a four-story brick building, and during its heyday it featured over 100 guest rooms, a restaurant, a full bar, a lounge, a ballroom, and many local businesses in its storefronts on the ground floor. At the time of its opening in 1916, it was known as The Parkside Hotel. This moniker lasted until the 1950s, when it was renamed The Hotel Kewanee.
Longtime proprietor Charlie Summers, Sr. and his family owned and operated the hotel from 1962 to 1992. During this time, the hotel hosted a full-scale restaurant, bar, and lounge that were open to the public. It also hosted private functions in its ballroom until 1977, when the ballroom was replaced with additional hotel rooms. The Hotel Kewanee hosted many famous guests over the years, including: U.S. Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen (R-IL); Governor Richard Buell Ogilvie (D-IL); Maureen Reagan
, daughter of President Ronald Reagan; Margaret Whiting
, pop singer; Bob Crosby
, bandleader and brother of actor Bing Crosby; Suzy Bogguss
, country music singer; U.S. Senator John Tower
(R-TX); and Marjabelle Young Stewart
, author and etiquette expert.
WKEI
, a Kewanee-based radio station, had its studios on the fourth floor of The Hotel Kewanee from 1961 to 1981.
In 2006, it was named to the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Henry County Housing Authority acquired the building in the early 2000s. It has been renovated for use as senior citizen housing and was renamed Parkside Apartments.
Kewanee, Illinois
Kewanee is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for prairie chicken, which lekked there. The population was 12,916 at the 2010 census, down from 12,944 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, located at 125 North Chestnut Street.
The Hotel Kewanee was built in 1916 and operated as a hotel until the early 2000s. It is a four-story brick building, and during its heyday it featured over 100 guest rooms, a restaurant, a full bar, a lounge, a ballroom, and many local businesses in its storefronts on the ground floor. At the time of its opening in 1916, it was known as The Parkside Hotel. This moniker lasted until the 1950s, when it was renamed The Hotel Kewanee.
Longtime proprietor Charlie Summers, Sr. and his family owned and operated the hotel from 1962 to 1992. During this time, the hotel hosted a full-scale restaurant, bar, and lounge that were open to the public. It also hosted private functions in its ballroom until 1977, when the ballroom was replaced with additional hotel rooms. The Hotel Kewanee hosted many famous guests over the years, including: U.S. Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen (R-IL); Governor Richard Buell Ogilvie (D-IL); Maureen Reagan
Maureen Reagan
Maureen Elizabeth Reagan was the first child of former President Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Jane Wyman...
, daughter of President Ronald Reagan; Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting was a singer of American popular music and country music who first made her reputation during the 1940s and 1950s.-Youth:...
, pop singer; Bob Crosby
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
, bandleader and brother of actor Bing Crosby; Suzy Bogguss
Suzy Bogguss
Susan Kay "Suzy" Bogguss is an American country music singer. In the 1980s and 90s she released one platinum and three gold albums and charted six top ten singles, winning the Academy of Country Music's award for Top New Female Vocalist and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.After...
, country music singer; U.S. Senator John Tower
John Tower
John Goodwin Tower was the first Republican United States senator from Texas since Reconstruction. He served from 1961 until his retirement in January 1985, after which time he was the chairman of the Reagan-appointed Tower Commission that investigated the Iran-Contra Affair. He was George H. W...
(R-TX); and Marjabelle Young Stewart
Marjabelle Young Stewart
Marjabelle Young Stewart was an American writer and expert on etiquette.Marjabelle Young Stewart was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa to Marie and Clarence Cullen Bryant . She, and her three sisters lived in an orphanage after her parents divorced, where her youngest sister died of a mastoid infection...
, author and etiquette expert.
WKEI
WKEI
WKEI is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Kewanee, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Quad Cities area. The station is currently owned by Virden Broadcasting Corp....
, a Kewanee-based radio station, had its studios on the fourth floor of The Hotel Kewanee from 1961 to 1981.
In 2006, it was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Henry County Housing Authority acquired the building in the early 2000s. It has been renovated for use as senior citizen housing and was renamed Parkside Apartments.