Emerson Hotel reception desk — 3/29/1941 — #18177_1
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Photograph Copyright Anderson & Middleton Company
United States — Washington (State) — Hoquiam
Grays Harbor Washingtonian
Beneath a stylized Native American canoe paddle and the Board Foot from Hoquiam sign, the desk clerk checks two gentlemen into the hotel while the bellhop stands by. On the floor are a dog and a spitoon.
Thanks to Sam Talley who notes: "George H. Emerson (1846-1914) came to Hoquiam as an agent for lumber industry capitalist A.M. Simpson. In 1882 Emerson built the North Western Lumber Company. He helped plat out Hoquiam and is considered one of Hoquiam's founding fathers. There are several namesakes in his honor such as Emerson Avenue, Emerson Grade School and the Emerson Hotel, a 5-story brick building constructed in 1923 at the intersection of the present 7th & Simpson Ave.
The hotel featured a big lobby for sitting, reading and visiting as well as a bar, coffee shop, and restaurant that was as fine as any in Grays Harbor. The banquet room hosted large meetings, class reunions, anniversaries and other special events. The influx of motels, chain restaurants, and the lack of parking caused the Emerson to fall on hard times and eventually close. In recent years the building was changed into a 59-unit center for senior and disabled housing called Emerson Manor."
