The Bryan House hotel at High and Beech streets in Bryan was destroyed by fire. According to late local historian Paul Van Gundy, the southeast corner of Bryan’s High and Beech streets was first occupied in 1844 by John Saddoris’ home and wagon shop.
Van Gundy stated, “About 1852 or 1853 it became a hotel kept by John Glass.” The hotel had a number of owners and operated under several names, including the Bryan House, Richardson House, and Burke House.
In 1887, local grocer and baker Thomas Owen Williams purchased the Bryan House. The three-story wooden frame hotel was destroyed by fire on May 30, 1891. The blaze was “supposed to be the work of firebugs,” according to the Montpelier Enterprise newspaper.
Following the fire, Williams erected an ornate two-story brick hotel on the site. The Hotel Williams opened in April 1892 and was called the finest hotel between Toledo and Chicago. The building was designed by E.O. Fallis, who also designed the Williams County courthouse.
The hotel went through several name changes—including the Jefferson House and Hotel Closs—before it was purchased by James A. Elder in 1924; it was thereafter known as the Hotel Elder.
In 1972, the historic hotel was razed by the City of Bryan to provide off-street parking.
The Bryan House hotel is the three-story wooden frame structure near the center of this 1860s vintage image of Bryan’s West High Street. This photograph is from the Kevin Maynard collection.
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