Fire Destroyed Lindell Hotel 150 Years Ago Today
A huge fire destroyed St. Louis’ premier hotel on this date a century snd a half ago:
On March 30, 1867, the Lindell Hotel caught fire for reasons unknown. The ornate six-story building was a marvel of architectural design carefully crafted from brick, iron, and stone. As word of the fire began to spread, many of the nearly 400 guests ignored the warnings. Much like some passengers of the Titanic believed the ship unsinkable, these hotel residents thought themselves safe within the strong, solid confines surrounding them. They continued relaxing, eating, and drinking, but the fire wasn’t about to be ignored. (Missouri History Museum blog– recomended)
The Lindell Hotel was rebuilt on the same site, opening in 1874. It experienced a fire in 1885. It was razed in 1906 to build the Stix, Baer & Fuller department store. It became a Dillard’s in 1984, and connected to St. Louis Centre (opened 1985) via a 4-story walkway over Washington Ave.
Today the building on the site contains:
- The Laurel Apartments
- Embassy Suites Hotel
- Robust Wine Bar
- National Blues Museum
- Sugarfire Smokehouse
A lot of history at this site.
— Steve Patterson