Belvedere Hotel Collection ( BHC)
Belvedere Hotel Corporation Collection
Nature & Type of Records : Sampling of correspondence, minutes, contracts, financial records, appraisals, and operational records (including guest ledgers, banquet records, personnel files, purchasing records and other similar records) of the Belvedere Hotel Corporation and the Sheraton Belvedere Corporation.
The collection includes papers, bound volumes, microfilm and card files.
Some records of the Hilltop Theater, Consalvo Hotels, the Jefferson Hotel ( Richmond) and the Monticello Hotel ( Norfolk) appear.
Volume : 85 linear feet
Inclusive dates : 1904–1970 (sampling)
Condition of the records : Fair condition to good.
Administrative History : The records of the Belvedere Hotel Corporation were deposited in the Special Collections Department in June 1976 by Victor Frenkil through his agent Linda Kline.
The Belvedere Hotel came into being as a community project with funds raised by subscription and bonds. Formal opening took place on December 10, 1903. Built at a cost of $1,750,000, the hotel contained 350 luxuriously furnished rooms with every comfort of the time. It maintained its own laundry and service operations, upholstery, print shop, and a 24-hour staff of plumbers. The first President of the Belvedere Hotel Corporation was Nelson Perin; the Hotel was managed by E. B. McCahn, formerly of the Stafford Hotel. The Belvedere was named after the private estate of John Eager Howard on whose land it stood.
Throughout its history, the Belvedere Hotel was involved in financial problems. In February of 1906, three years after its opening, it was put into receivership under the trusteeship of a Mr. Blakiston, the President of the Union Trust Bank and Edgar B. Miller. The Hotel was bought by Maryland Trust Company for $1,500,000. In 1907, it was mortgaged again, bought this time by Union Trust. Mr. Blakiston, practically operated the Hotel thereafter until his death, when Charles Crain became active in the management. In 1915, the Hotel again was put into receivership.
In September 1917, Charles Consolvo purchased the Hotel from the Union Trust for about $450,000. He reorganized it and under his management by 1920 it was recognized as one of the country's finest hostelries.
Despite this, in 1933, again the Hotel went into receivership. The economic conditions of the time and prohibition were contributing factors. In 1935 Consolvo withdrew, and on December 29th of that year John Folger became the temporary manager. In 1938, the repeal of the 18th amendment and the general optimism of the year were factors in the approval of $250,000.00 for maintenance and modernization. Taken over by bondholders at that point, S. Page Nelson and William B. Fallon were named as trustees.
In 1942, the controlling interest in the Hotel was purchased from the Savings Bank of Baltimore for an undisclosed sum by a group of Baltimore men, including Lt. Col. John McFee Mowbray, Col. W. Wallace Lanham, Frank Obers, Morris Mechanic, William S. Merrick, Presby Bowen and Hope Barroll Jr. Mowbray, the President of the Roland park Company, was elected President of the Board.
In 1946, the Hotel was purchased by the Sheraton Corporation and became the Sheraton-Belvedere Hotel. Air-conditioning was installed; television sets were put into every room. A three million dollar expansion was planned onto the adjoining property, but this plan was dropped in 1956 because of conflict with a potential highway. 1958 saw the Hotel using the world's first electronic hotel reservation system.
In October 1968, the Sheraton-Belvedere Hotel was sold to the Wellington Association of N.Y., a large real estate holding company. Thereafter, in 1969 it was acquired by Gotham Hotels Limited of N.Y. In 1971, manager Richard Bankert noted the inefficiency of the Belvedere's operation compared to more modern hotels. At this time, the Hotel was rented by the Baltimore Institute for use as a dormitory, the dormitories being operated by the Snowden Corporation. (Ms. Wendy Smith of the Belvedere Corporation states that the Snowden Corporation was a cover for Gotham Hotels. – 1968)
In January 1972, the Snowden Corporation quit its operations, noting that the debt situation, vandalism and fire code violations would have cost more than a million dollars to correct. The Belvedere was put up for sale by its owners, the Monumental Life Company on December 20, 1973, and was sold at a Trustees; sale for a prearranged figure to Mr. Morton Sarubin, who wanted to buy and convert the building using federal programs to rehabilitate it for middle income apartments with federal, city and state funds. The funds did not materialize.
On January 1, 1976 the building was again sold, this time to the chairman of the Board of Baltimore Contractors, Victor Frenkil, who intended to rehabilitate the building with 158 apartments of one, two and three bedrooms; to reopen the dining rooms to the public, and develop a catering service available for ballroom events.