Lawrence · Northeast: Lawrence
The Eldridge Hotel
Stands where the Free State Hotel burned in 1856 and its successor in Quantrill's 1863 raid; book The Eldridge, not Extended.
- Built
- 1925–28Built in two phases: the northern unit 1925–26 (completed April 1926) and the southern unit 1926–28 (completed October 1928). The nomination says a rear unit inside the ell appears to date from the 1866 Eldridge House.
- Style
- Eclectic Second Renaissance Revival
- Architect
- C. Shepard and A. Wiser (as listed by KSHS)
- Type
- Boutique hotel
- Rooms
- 48
- Area
- Northeast: Lawrence
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The story
The first hotel on this corner was the Free State Hotel, built in 1855 by settlers sent by the New England Emigrant Aid Company. Sheriff Samuel Jones and pro-slavery men burned it on May 21, 1856, during the Sack of Lawrence, and Shalor Eldridge’s replacement was burned on August 21, 1863, in Quantrill’s raid. Eldridge rebuilt in 1866, and that hotel was replaced in phases between 1925 and 1928 by a group organized by Billy Hutson. The hotel closed on July 1, 1970, and was apartments until 1985, when investors rebuilt the top four floors into 48 two-room suites. It sold at auction in October 2004 and reopened in May 2005 after a multi-million-dollar renovation.
The ghost story
Guests and staff report activity centered on Room 506, the room the hotel's own page calls Col. Shalor Eldridge's favorite spot. The Lawrence Journal-World reported in 2009 that guests there said their door opened in the night and a set of golf clubs shook the next day, and that the original cornerstone had been kept in that room before a remodel.
Source: www2.ljworld.com
Good to know
- Parking: garage nearby
- No pets
- Address: 701 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, KS 66044
Sources (4)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.