WEDDELL HOUSE, Superior Ave. and Bank (W. 6th) St., was the best known of the early hotels built in Cleveland in the first half of the 19th century. Early settler and businessman PETER M. WEDDELL employed Geo. P. Smith to build the hotel on Superior St., replacing his successful mercantile store. Weddell House opened in 1847, and was a 5-story brick-and-sandstone structure with about 200 rooms, including offices, stores, several parlors, and a large dining room on the first 2 floors. The demand for rooms was so great that the hotel was enlarged in 1853, when a 4-story addition was built on W. 6th St. The most historic occasion associated with the hotel was the appearance and address of president-elect Lincoln on 15 Feb. 1861, during his inaugural trip to Washington. In 1904 the original portion of the hotel was razed and replaced by the ROCKEFELLER BLDG. The W. 6th St. addition remained until 1961.
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