The Gilmore Hotel

The Gilmore Hotel. , Tailor Pat Gilmore left Ireland in the early 1900s to seek his fortune in Alaska. He wisely invested his "grubstake" in the "Men's Emporium" on Dock Street in 1905. Within a year, he brought his sweetheart Elizabeth "Lizzie" Guinan over. They settled into frontier life in Ketchikan, had 8 kids, of which 4 survived to adulthood and continued to contribute to the community (daughter Mary Balcom became one of our first historians)., Pat brought recognition to the Gilmore name. He served on the City Council, as Mayor, and as U.S. Commissioner and District Judge. He was also a consummate businessman. After fire destroyed 13 buildings on Front Street, he built a three-story fireproof (concrete) building. It opened as the classy Gilmore Hotel in 1927. Three generations of Gilmores operated it for over 50 years. It housed many popular businesses on the ground floor., In need of substantial repairs, the Gilmore Hotel was purchased in the early 1980s and restored to its former glory while maintaining its original Classic Revival details. In 1989, the hotel restoration was complete and included "Annabelle's Famous Keg and Chowder House" designed to an authentic 1920s theme. The Gilmore Hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Pat Gilmore would have been proud!, [Photo captions, top to bottom, read] , . Pat Gilmore Sr. and Jack Davies toasting the end of Prohibition, December 5, 1933. Pat was often described as "the best dressed man in Ketchikan.", . The Gilmore Hotel is one of numerous multistory buildings sitting on the upland side of Front Street. Up until the 1960s the water side was also lined with structures, as this mid-1950s photo illustrates. Today, Tongass Trading and the Sourdough Bar are the only structures that survive., . The Gilmore Hotel [advertising card] , Each of its forty-three splendidly appointed rooms fourteen of which have private baths is equipped with individual telephone, maid and valet service. All are outside rooms, and steamheated, of course., A spacious lobby, with comfortable lounging settees, and several cozy-nooks on stair landings, are but some of the incidental offerings., Other conveniences, including a cafe in connection which offers immediate room service and catering to special dinner parties, modern beauty parlor within the building, and all-night telephone service, are offered you at Alaska's newest and finest hotel the Gilmore. All the services are at a reasonable price., Being modern, the Gilmore is absolutely fireproof., . P. J. Gilmore "The Clothier" , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , circa 1927 , Historic Property , Presented by , Ketchikan Historical Commission.