Kansas - Lawrence

Eldridge Hotel

The Eldridge Hotel is the only business in town still operating on the corner where it stood before Kansas was admitted to the Union. Also known as the Free State Hotel, the Eldridge Hotel was built and rebuilt over the years, as pro-slavery forces destroyed it (1856), Quantrill's raiders attacked it (1863), and its owner demolished it to make way for the five-story hotel that stands today (1924). During Kansas' bloody territory days, the hotel offered refuge to settlers promoting the Free State cause; after its destruction owner Shalor Eldridge pledged that each time the hotel was destroyed, it would be rebuilt and another story added. Today the all-suite hotel (built in 1926, restored and reopened in 1986) offers warmly-furnished suites stocked with amenities and enjoys tree-lined, university town surroundings in historic downtown Lawrence.

Amenities:

48 suites, courtesy van for local transportation, room service, refrigerator, cable TV. Convenient to shops and restaurants; golf nearby. The Eldridge hosts the annual "Eldridge Hotel Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade" the first Saturday in December each year featuring over 100 horse-drawn vehicles.

Dining:

Shalor's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner featuring American Bistro fare; the well-stocked Jayhawk Pub offers a variety of beverages.

Meetings:

Three meeting rooms, including ballroom, accommodate groups up to 150 people.

Location:

At Seventh and Massachusetts Streets in downtown Lawrence, one mile from the University of Kansas campus; twenty minutes from Topeka; 40 minutes from Kansas City.

Rates:

Single/Double: $89.00 to $340.00
Suites/Specialty: $215.00 to $395.00