From
the Montpelier House... ...To
the Capitol Plaza
|
1826
- Montpelier House built and opened by John Davis. |
In 1826, the Montpelier
House was built and opened by John Davis. Over 150 years later, the Capitol Plaza
stands strongly today. From generation to generation the Montpelier House, or
Tavern as it is remembered by locals, was passed through many local and not-so-local
families. It has always been considered the keystone to Montpelier. | | The
hotel survived the Flood of 1924 while under the ownership of Albert Sparrow.
Two years later it was sold to Waldo Farra and Pearl Cleveland. The hotel stayed
in the Cleveland and Farra families for the next 36 years. After Mr. Cleveland
died, his widow Cora Cleveland closed the hotel to start reconstruction. When
Mrs. Cleveland reopened the hotel in 1932, the entire community was there to support
the grand opening. | |
In 1962, Borden Avery purchased
the hotel from the Clevelands. The Avery family not only did much renovating,
but also did a great deal of construction. Their first project was to create the
ballroom, The Champagne Room, for which they had a grand opening with the guests
of honor, Governor and Mrs. Hoff. They continued to need more room and purchased
the property next door and built the East Wing (currently our hotel room) and
soon after that the Tower and Arcade shops. |
 Circa
1930s, owned and rebuilt by Mrs. Pearl Cleveland. | | The
Avery family sold the hotel in 1980 and Montpelier residents watched as the hotel
changed names and owners several times. The hotel experienced another destructive
flood, the Flood of 1992, and this time the flood closed the doors to this historical
site. However, a local Montpelier family, Fred and Mary Bashara, purchased the
hotel in 1994, completely renovated the property, and reopened the doors to the
Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center. The hotel is returned to the keystone
of Montpelier. |
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