“As a King would
meet his compeer,
As a friend would
meet his friend,
Such a welcome
does “The Saulpaugh,”
To its honored
quests extend
Our welcome has no
politics, no rich, no small or great,
It reaches from
the threshold to every class and state.
When party lines
have vanished, and all is mirth and cheer,
And the dessert, A
la Francaise, begins to disappear,
We will toast
the “Jolly Saulpaugh” until the arches
groan,
For Blue Earth
takes the credit, for every brick and stone.
We will stop our
mirth to listen, drawing closer ‘round,
To the story of
it’s being built, upon historic ground:
How it stands upon
the levee, where the settler used to wend
En masse, to see
the steamboat puffing “round the bend;”
The red man,
scorning labor, in watchful silence stood,
Dreaming dreams of
vengeance that fired his savage blood….”(Historical center)
THE
SAULPAUGH HOTEL
The City of Mankato is like any city in this country. Mankato has a unique history, architecture and its hidden treasure. One such hidden treasure is no longer around but helped make Mankato. It was a Hotel, but not just any kind of hotel, “One of the finest in the State.”
The city of Mankato, during the summer of 1888, was growing rapidly, with a hospital, church, young men’s building and courthouse all being constructed at the same time. The one building being constructed along side these were the magnificent Saulpaugh Hotel. The upper piece was the opening that was put on invitations sent out to the many of those who attended the extravagant parties.
Mr. Thomas Saulpaugh, originally from Minneapolis, saw how prosperous Mankato was becoming. He came up with idea of a first class hotel. He brought his idea to the City of Mankato, the city purchased the land on the corner of Front and Main for $14,000, and gave it to Thomas Saulpaugh with the understanding he would build his hotel. The hotel was built for $142,000. (Freepress)
[Saulpaugh Hotel around 1910]
Work began on the Grand Saulpaugh Hotel in June of 1888. When the Minnesota River fell sufficiently enough to be drained, men were put to work digging dirt away from the higher part and filling in the lower. The foundation was built using stone from the Mankato quarry. At the time of the construction of the Saulpaugh, the wages were much lower than present days. For example bricklayers received .35 cents per hour, carpenters .22 to .25 cents and plumbers .35 cents per hour. Workmen, at this time didn’t receive workers compensation or any other benefits, but Mr. Saulpaugh was a kind man and took care of his workers. There is a story about a man who was very seriously injured during construction. Mr. Saulpaugh took care of all his medical care and paid him full wages during the time he couldn’t work. Construction was completed and the Grand Opening was held on November 6th, 1889. A formal ball was held in honor of the Grand Opening in the huge ballroom on the second floor. A seven-course meal was served to many prominent people in the city and state.
A copy of the formal invitation follows:
The lobby of the hotel was rather large for its time, and was accented with a large spiral staircase, which led to the huge ballroom on the second floor. A newsstand and cigar stand was also found in the lobby. There you could receive the Saulpaugh
Newsletter or an original Saulpaugh cigar for .10 cents.
The Restaurant that treated guest to buffets and other fine foods was called the Blue Blazer dining room and cocktail lounge where you could sit back and relax. Also located in the Saulpaugh was a café called Pete Canellos. The Saulpaugh also offered a pool and ballard parlor where the male guest could go to enjoy some gamesmanship.
Also, in the lobby to the right of the entrance you would come across the Postal Telegraph Agency. On the south side of the Lobby was the St. Peter Barbershop. In the Lobby Nave was were you could stop in and say “Hi” to Vern Benson in his Insurance Office. The National Bank of Commerce was also located in the Lobby of the Saulpaugh.
The hotel had 100 guest rooms. In later years in the ballroom was where a dance club called The Benedicts heated up the dance floor and on Monday nights the Mankato Kiwanis Club would meet. The skylight in the lobby was turned into a mezzanine in later years. There you would hear laughter and applause from the excitement taking place that night. In 1899 the Saulpaugh built it’s own electric light plant. This made it easier and less expensive to light the Hotel.[1]
The Saulpaugh survived on, even when it was handed a bad hand. One such instance was streetcar making its last stop for the night on top of the hill by Lyola was left unattended and the brakes were left off. The street card ended up through the main lobby of the Saulpaugh’s National Bank of Commerce. Also, on June 14, 1901 at 2:10 a.m., guests were aroused when a fire was discovered in the basement of the hotel. The alarm was sounded and guests awakened. The fire started in an apartment under the bar and lunch rooms on the north side of the building. However, just how the fire started is still a mystery unfortunately the building had considerable smoke damage. For example, the lunchroom was almost destroyed and the parlor woodwork had damage in the pool and billiards rooms. All the rooms but three were occupied. Although fire escapes were located at the end of the halls none of the women took advantage of the ladders. They made their way down the stairway to the ground level. Ten guests came down on the fire escapes and some of them were barely dressed.[2] Despite the fire, the Saulpaugh received guests and breakfast was served that morning as if nothing had happened.
Business was suspended at the Saulpaugh in 1913. Gas and light service was turned off and the hotel was left in darkness. Guests were given candles and were allowed to stay, but no meals were served. Registration was closed and no new guests were allowed in. The hotel was under the management of Thomas Saulpaugh and family until it was sold to Robert Karp Co. in 1913. In 1933 it was taken over by the Arthur L. Roberts Hotel Co. In 1959, Arthur L. Robert Co. sold the Hotel to the Mankato Hotel Company, Inc.
In 1974 the Saulpaugh Hotel’s time was up. House authorities authorized its demolition, which started began on March 1’st. Because the City of Mankato deemed the Saulpaugh too costly to renovate, it was torn down during the urban renewal of the downtown. Present day, the Holiday Inn stands were the one magnificent Saulpaugh origanally stood. However a remnant of the Saulpaugh remains because the Holiday Inn carried over the “Blue Blazer” name to refer to its cocktail lounge.
While our generation did miss out on the Saulpaugh, this four story, 100-room hotel was a magnificent building during its prime. Legendarily parties, prominent people and memories can be associated with it. The Saulpaugh was clearly the heart and pride of the early city of Mankato and made Mankato a landmark. (Free press)
“…So the hours quickly vanish till the stars fade
out of sight.
And the corridors re-echo “Goodnight dear friends
goodnight.”
(Historical center)
Angela Wiederhoft S01 Intro to the City
TOP LEFT: PICTURE OF THE INSIDE LOBBY OF HOTEL
TOP RIGHT: MENU FROM THE HOTEL DINING ROOM
BOTTOM: TEARING DOWN THE HOTEL (IN 1974)