Rookery/Park Hotel - Ellwood City PA

The Rookery, later rebranded as the Park Hotel, was built by the Pittsburg Company in Ellwood City in 1895. It stood right alongside the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) tracks – adjacent to the Union Station train station – in what became downtown Ellwood City. City founder Henry Hartman, as head of the Pittsburg Company, had offices in the building for a time. Exactly what happened (and when) to this hotel has always been a mystery. However, I recently found evidence that the owners, Mr. and Mrs. George Stone, closed up the hotel in May 1911 due to a lack of business. It was later torn down and a new business block was built in its place.

A view of the hotel across the P&LE and B&O railroad tracks from the new Union Station. The new Union Station was opened in 1912 so the hotel lasted at least til then. “The subway” on Fifth Street is visible on the right. (c1915)

A closeup of the Rookery/Park Hotel in the wintertime. (c1915)