Stepping into Historic Rochester

Stepping into Historic Rochester. Hotels. , Situated on the northernmost point of the Ohio River at the mouth of the Beaver River, Rochester was positioned to become one of the main terminals of transportation in Beaver County. With the installation of the Beaver Division Canal and Girard's Locks, Rochester's role took on even more importance as she became the gatekeeper to the Beaver River and its lucrative canal traffic. In later years, the railroad also brought more people and business flowing into the town, and more traffic meant more affluent travelers and businessmen who needed a place to stay. To accommodate this need, hotels began to spring up as early as 1834 and they were made more spacious and luxurious to cater to a new and growing economic community., Doncaster House 1870 , The Doncaster House was built by Richard Doncaster who arrived from England in 1826. He came to Rochester in 1865 and established the hotel in 1870. James W. Doncaster purchased the Hotel in 1897. The Doncaster House was located on Rochester Avenue bordering the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line. It was demolished in 1930., Leaf House 1834 , William Leaf was born in England in 1808, coming to Rochester in 1832 as superintendent of the masonry work on the locks of the canal at the mouth of the Beaver River. The pioneer hostelry in Rochester, known as the "Leaf House" built in 1834, stood on the corner of Shields and Maine streets. This fine brick hotel which he managed for several years, was a well-known hotel in the days of the canal., Leaf was noted for his excellent masonry work and he cut the stone for several important buildings in town and the surrounding areas. When he leased the hotel to a man named Barnes, he had the name "Leaf House," a familiar trademark, painted on the building., The Exchange 1837 , One of the oldest hotels, The Exchange, was built at the point where the Beaver River meets the Ohio River and began operation about the same time the canel was opened in 1837. It was built by John and Charles Boles to accommodate the canal travelers. At the time, it was considered one of the most attractive hotels in the valley and a favorite place for parties, with large gatherings coming from Pittsburgh and New Castle, as well as the surrounding towns., Rochester Hotel 1848 , In 1848, John H. Camp built a hotel on Water Street calling it the "Rochester Hotel." Two years later, his nephew Michael Camp bought the Hotel. Michael Camp remained the proprietor of the Rochester Hotel until 1862 when he exchanged it for the "Pavilion Hotel," which was built in 1845. He then sold the Pavilion in 1886. It was renamed the "St. James Hotel". In 1910, J.M. Hays was the proprietor and the rates were $1 per day. It was torn down in 1937., Hotel Rochester 1910 , The Hotel Rochester was built in 1910 on the east side of lower New York Avenue, adjacent to the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It later became the "Custer Hotel," and was demolished in 1960 when construction of the Rochester highway overpass began at the base of New York Avenue., Hotel Lincoln 1910 , The Hotel Lincoln, built about 1910 at the corner of Brighton Avenue and Pleasant Street, was the principal hotel of Rochester. The three-story building, with its paneled lobby and elegant dining room, advertised a telephone in every room and rates from $2.00 to $2.50 per day. The Hotel Lincoln was owned and managed by W.F. Workman. A fire of mysterious origin burned the hotel to the ground in 1959., Penn Beaver Hotel 1928 , A group of civic-minded citizens, seeing the need of a modern hotel in the center of Rochester, planned and built the Penn Beaver Hotel. The opening was on February 23, 1928. Tom Judge and his wife managed the Penn Beaver for many years and saw to it that every detail was first class. The Beaver Room served lunches for businessmen and travelers at noon. The Dining Room was beautifully appointed and was staffed with competent personnel. The Penn Beaver Pharmacy fronted the hotel, on Brighton Avenue. On May 1, 1940, Michael Baker, Jr. launched a consulting firm in Rochester persuading the Penn Beaver Hotel to extend six months of credit for office space in room 122. Following his first $25 surveying job, Baker built his business into one of America's largest engineering firms.