The Elk / Park Hotel in Downtown Clear Lake, Across from City Park.
The Elk Hotel,
located at the
corner of
Main Avenue
and 3rd Street
(Across from the
Corner Drug in the 50s)
(Clear Lake Iowa 1851-2006)
The Red Book
Thanks to
Bob Moninger
for this picture.
The Park Hotel
was demolished in April 1987.
In this photo, the porch has
already been taken off.
(Clear Lake Iowa 1851-2006)
(The Red Book)
If you have pictures, information about the
Park Hotel or a memory you would like to share with us all,
to be posted.
Thank you to those who have participated!!
The Elk was later known as the Rogers Hotel and Park Hotel. It was demolished in the 1980s.
Article from 'The Pictorial History of Clear Lake Iowa"
Page 115
Memories....The last couple of years of high school and my freshman year of college I worked at the Park Hotel. Ruth Fordyce was the owner at the time. At that time Ruth was probably in her 70's. Well, maybe she wasn't that old, you know how when you are younger everyone looks ancient. Well anyway she lived in an apartment in the hotel, just off the lobby, but still maintained a home on 5th Avenue South. I can't remember the total number of rooms, but they were located on the second and third floors. Each floor had two rooms with bathrooms that had a bathtub and one room that had a shower. All other rooms had a sink in them, but shared a community shower. The cost of the rooms was $5.00 for rooms with a bathtub, $3.50 for rooms with a shower and all other rooms were $2.50 per night. I can't remember if there was an extra cost for extra people. During the summer and on weekends during the school year I cleaned the rooms at $1.00 per hour in the mornings and then was the desk clerk in the afternoon and got $2.00 per hour. You see, being the desk clerk you had a lot more responsibility...checking people in and out, filling the pop machine and keeping the display case filled with snacks and souvenirs and postcards. There was one guy that stayed in one of the rooms full time and he paid $30.00 for the month. His bed got changed and room cleaned once a week. There were no plastic glasses at the time, so all glasses had to be hand washed. I remember one couple that stayed there every summer during the carnival, because they ran a food stand. They got a room with bathtub. It must have been a good business being in the carnival.
Submitted by Linda (Buhr) Jacobs Class of 1966
