Description
Logan House Antecedents
In June 1866, Mr. Peter West and Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbard (his mother-in-law) built a new brick hotel on the corner of Bridge (later known as E. 4th) & Sycamore. The main building was 40 x 50, with a kitchen 20 x 24. It was a 3 story brick building. The hotel was first known as the City Hotel (1866-1868), and later was known as the Commercial House (1868-1870).
In 1869, the Commercial House was incorporated into a larger hotel structure. By 1870, the first floor had been partitioned into four business rooms, two of which were occupied by Mr. Harbin and C. A. Farwell. Hiram L. Swift moved to Waterloo from Auburn, N. Y. to take over management of the 70-room hotel. The “new” hotel, now known as Swift’s Hotel was opened for occupancy April 12, 1870.
Swift’s Hotel closed in April 1875 when H.L. Swift moved to Marshalltown, Iowa, to take over a hotel there. Later that same month, the owners of the hotel building rented it to Mr. William Barrett of Decorah, Iowa. The hotel was renamed the Logan House, and reopened for business in June 1875.
The hotel underwent a renovation in 1886, and continued under various managers until it was purchased by the James Black Dry Goods Company in December 1909. The Logan House was demolished in 1912 to make way for the construction of the Black’s Building, which is still standing today.