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■ ml Massachusetts once sat The Free State Hotel,I ll erected in 1855. The Free State Hotel’s name made its mission clear: Kansas should come into the Union as a free state. The hotel only stood for one year before it was burned to the ground by pro-slavery forces led by Sheriff Sam Jones. Then Col. Shalor Eldridge rebuilt the hotel, bigger and better.In 1863 it was attacked again and burned down by William Quantrill and his raiders, who burned much of Lawrence in their infamous raid.Col. Eldridge, unwavering, rebuilt the hotel again, this time giving it his name: The Hotel Eldridge.The hotel, as such, is a symbol of Lawrence’s long and proud history of standing up for civil rights and human dignity.Through the years, The Eldridge has been renovated, re-imagined and reborn many times, but it has always been a cornerstone identified with downtown and a reminder of Lawrence’s motto: “From ashes to mmortality.”In 2005, The Eldridge underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation project and was restored to ts orig lal grandeur. Today, The Eldridge houses 48 rooms and two restaurants, as well as banquet facilities and catering.meeting rooms and boardroom spaces.n 2009, The Oread was erected atop Mt. Oread at the north gate of the University of Kansas. The 99-room hotel, with its multiple restaurants, finely appointed accommodations and varied nightlife opportunities, completes the triad of hotels in “The Olivia Collection”— a locally-owned management company that offers the finest in Lawrence hospitality.“The Oread,” according to genera manager Nancy Longhurst, “was planned to dovetail with activities at KU and to appeal to the people who make up KU’s students, faculty and sports fans, while at the same time positioning both the school and Lawrence to attract smaller conventions and conferences.” It is the brainchild of local contractors Thomas and Dru Fritzel, who “wanted to build a hotel Lawrence could be proud of,” according to Longhurst.The Olivia Collection employs 340 people in Lawrence, making it one of Lawrence’s largest local businesses. From retail, to restaurants, to the university, Lawrence and its residents benefit from the economic impact of the Olivia hotels. The Collection offers something for everyone, from the history buff to the business executive to the KU sports fan.
Newspaper Details
Lawrence Journal World
Lawrence, Kansas, US
Thu, Jun 02, 2011
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Lawrence P.
KS, USA 09 Dec 2022
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