Gerard Hotel

Gerard Hotel (HM2KL5)

Location:
Buy flags at Flagstore.com!

N 36° 59.587', W 86° 26.512'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 367 views
Inscription
History

Constructed shortly after the Civil War and listed in the 1876-77 City Business Directory as one on nine hotels in the center of town, the Gerard building is probably the oldest hotel still standing in Bowling Green. Its street floor has housed a wide variety of commercial establishments - bookshop, drug store, saloon, pool hall, clothing store, plumbing supply shop, grocery and restaurant. Until the mid-20th century, however, its upper levels continued as a residential hotel.

The three story structure sports seven bays and has common bonding in the masonry. The façade contains 14 2/2 windows with limestone sills and lentils, 8 brick pilasters, a brick string course between the second and third floor, a corbelled brick cornice and seven cast iron vents.

The hotel's façade has experienced numerous changes in the last half century. The recessed entrance and the display windows, typical of 19th century commercial buildings, were modernized with aluminum framing and plate glass. The façade was painted white, but later the paint was removed from the bricks with a chemical wash. Shortly thereafter, the structure's interior underwent a major renovation.

Hearsay

Rumors indicate that the hotel was constructed for (or at one time owned by) John Gerard, an Irish immigrant who arrived



in Bowling Green shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War and earned his living making furniture. During the war Gerard furnished caskets for the occupying armies (the CSA, mid Sept. 1861 - mid Feb. 1862 and USA, mid Feb 1862 - fall 1865), occasionally as many as 30 a day! After the conflict he continued his furniture making but as the town grew his skill in casket-making became a full-time occupation. Nothing in the Gerard financial records, however, indicates that John C. Gerard owned or invested in structures other than his own business on the corner of College and 10th Street.
Details
HM NumberHM2KL5
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 9th, 2019 at 11:01am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 549665 N 4094254
Decimal Degrees36.99311667, -86.44186667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 59.587', W 86° 26.512'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 59' 35.22" N, 86° 26' 30.72" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What country is the marker located in?
  2. Is this marker part of a series?
  3. What historical period does the marker represent?
  4. What historical place does the marker represent?
  5. What type of marker is it?
  6. What class is the marker?
  7. What style is the marker?
  8. Does the marker have a number?
  9. What year was the marker erected?
  10. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  11. This marker needs at least one picture.
  12. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  13. Is the marker in the median?