01907 Fall 2018 V2

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Welcome to the hotels Swampscott When the town was a popular resort BY BILL BROTHERTON Once upon a time, Swampscott was one of the Northeast's premier resort areas. The "old money" crowd would escape the sweltering big city and relax in one of the town's many seaside grand hotels for an entire summer. The train would depart from Boston, stopping at Swampscott station where Mr. Washburn's horse-drawn carriage service would be waiting to transport visitors to the hotels and estates. There were three stations in Swampscott alone, and the train would later be extended all the way to downtown Marblehead. Summer residents would arrive Memorial Day weekend and stay right through Labor Day, said unofficial town historian Lou Gallo. "If you had four or five rooms to rent, you could call yourself a hotel," Gallo said. "There were a lot of hotels, some grand, some not so grand. Over 500 rooms were available in Swampscott." The New Ocean House was indisputably the grandest of them all. In 1895, it was purchased by Edward Grabow and Allen Ainslie, who added a telephone, an elevator, and service "call bells" in all 175 rooms. Cottages and a multi-story, fireproof Puritan Hall boosted the room total to about 300. New Ocean's property covered 22 acres, which ran from Puritan Road to Humphrey Street. It was also one of the first resorts in America to go after convention business. Concerts, vaudeville entertainment, and dancing were soon offered. Golf and tennis tournaments were held. Horse stables were onsite. "The New Ocean House was like a city unto itself," said Gallo, who grew up behind the hotel in his grandparents' home. "On the first floor alone, there was a butcher shop, fish market, bakery, barber, drug store, tailor, laundry … anything you needed to get done. A daily newspaper was even printed there." There were strict rules for guests, according to Gallo, who worked at the 9-hole pitch-and-putt golf course as a youngster. Good manners, exemplary etiquette, and certain protocols had to be followed. "You could not wear a bathing suit in the hotel lobby. The bathhouse at the beach was where you changed," Gallo said. "Dogs were not allowed in the hotel. Children were not allowed in the main dining room. They had their own dining area. Exceptions would be made for dessert if the kids were well-behaved." A who's-who of prominent people stayed at the hotel during its heyday, including John F. Kennedy, Lucille Ball, Harpo Marx, Helen Keller, Babe Ruth, Guy Lombardo, and Lynn-born actor Walter Brennan. Rudy Vallée gave one of his early performances there, before he found worldwide success as a pop crooner. A young Rev. Billy Graham led a meeting there in 1925. In 1941, when Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met at sea to discuss the Atlantic Charter, staffers for both men stayed at the New Ocean House. In the 1930s, Col. Clem Kennedy bought the hotel and property. By then, business had started to falter. The end came on May 8, 1969, when the 81-yearold New Ocean House burned to the ground. By the time firefighters arrived, the five-story wooden structure was fully engulfed. No one was killed or injured, 06 | <strong>01907</strong>
The Lincoln House, at the western end of Phillips Point. The Lincoln House PHOTOS / POSTCARDS COURTESY LOU GALLO A postcard of the New Ocean House pool area. Hotel Preston at 441 Atlantic Ave. was built in 1872. and the cause of the fire was never determined. The 50th anniversary of the disaster is next year. "When it burned down, I sat on the roof of the bathhouse across the street and watched," said Gallo. "Puritan Hall was fireproofed. It didn't burn, but everything in it did." Today the site features townhouse condominiums, a playground, and an assisted living center. An earlier Ocean House was built by William Fenno in 1835. Situated on what is now Galloupes Point, it was the North Shore's first mainland summer hotel. A few moves and two fires later, it reopened as the New Ocean House in 1884. That, too, burned down, leading to Grabow and Ainslie's purchase and massive renovation and expansion. The Hotel Preston was equally elegant, according to Gallo. Located at 441 Atlantic Ave. and built in 1872, it featured an expansive beach, changing rooms on the seawall, and several piazzas from which splendid views of Beach Bluff were offered. Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra would perform daily. Ripping games of croquet were played on the lawn. When it burned down in 1957, the hotel was demolished and the soil was used as fill for a Logan airport extension. The Lincoln House, at the western end of Phillips Point, was also popular. Built in 1864, it too offered excellent water views from every room and direct access to the beach, which, in the 1780s, became known as Shakers Cove for the Shakers who came from Canterbury, HOTELS, page 28 FALL <strong>2018</strong> | 07
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01907 Fall 2018 V2

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