SMETHPORT — The discovery and recovery of an artifact at the Charles McKean Mansion in Smethport in August has provided an important link to the history of the building, later known as the Colonial Hotel.
A sandstone marker was unearthed during repair work in front of the building.
An example of Colonial Revival architecture with its four classical columns, the building, now known as Colonial Apartments, is located at West Main and Mechanic streets. It dates back to 1904 when it was the McKean residence.
Owner Brian Gustafson said in order to repair the retaining wall on the West Main Street side of the three-story building, it was necessary to remove the sidewalk.
“I was using an excavator between the sidewalk and curb when I found a sizable gray cut sandstone with ‘C McKean’ inscribed on it,” Gustafson told The Era. “At that time, it was facing backwards and had flipped upside down, in addition to being partially encased in concrete.
Gustafson continued, “Most of the concrete broke off since it probably didn’t adhere to the sandstone. It’s fortunate that it didn’t adhere since this reduced any substantial damage to the marker.”
The only noticeable damage to the marker was a small chip off the upper left corner.
The huge marker measures about 48″x20″ and weighs approximately 500 pounds.
Estimating its age, Gustafson said, “Since it is fashioned from cut sandstone, it could date back to 1904 because the building’s foundation is made of the same material.”
What is the future of the marker? Gustafson cleaned it and moved it near the steps leading to the building’s front porch. “It belongs where it is now,” he said. “It’s probably the oldest resident on the property,” he said with a smile.
Some people have expressed interest in the marker, but their offers haven’t been accepted.
The new sidewalk — colored stamped concrete — enhances the look of the building.
According to an article in the McKean County Democrat on March 19, 1931, the Colonial was constructed “at a cost of upwards of $50,000 at a time when material costs were extremely low. The furnishing of the home, displaying the discriminating taste of the late Mrs. McKean, is reputed to have cost an additional $50,000.”
A prominent Smethport businessman, McKean was a wealthy lumberman, owner of the county’s first natural gas company and associated with the Smethport Extract Company. He also owned one of the first automobiles in the area.
There have been numerous owners of the building. In May 1999, Gustafson and his wife, Amy, purchased Colonial Apartments from Thomas and Lynne Kolivoski, as noted in the property’s abstract. Since then, eight of the nine apartments have been remodeled.
In June 1931, Lawrence and Maude Munn purchased the building from the estate of Katherine McKean, who died in 1930, nearly four years after her husband. The new owners converted the residence into a hotel, and it was christened “The Colonial.”
Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Monsch purchased The Colonial in 1941. As reported in the August 15 edition of the McKean County Democrat, “The Colonial has progressed with the times. The numerous patrons of the Colonial benefit from the years of experience of Mr. Monsch in this country and in his native Switzerland.”
A potential crisis in the hotel’s future developed when the Monsches decided to retire in the 1960s and visit Switzerland. At that time there was a possibility the sole prospective buyer could convert it into a rest home for invalids.
As reported in historical documents, “A group of interested citizens is making a very determined effort to assure that the Colonial will remain in operation as a hotel; to make it even more attractive to guests; and to secure for it more helpful cooperation and patronage from local and area interests, as well as from more distant places.
“The citizens’ group believed there is a real possibility the hotel could be lost to the region and something must be done to keep its doors open. The group’s plan is to provide the Colonial financial stability and help assure a profitable operation.”
The building’s possible change in use never occurred.
On August 15, 1946, The McKean County Democrat wrote, “Converted from one of the finest and largest private dwellings ever erected in this section of Pennsylvania, the Colonial Hotel in Smethport is acknowledged by those who express pretense as one of the leading hostelries along the thousands of miles of U.S. Route 6.”
For some years, The Colonial, perhaps the most photographed building in Smethport, had earned the recommendations of the American Automobile Association and Duncan Hines.
A traveling salesman in the 1920s and 1930s, Hines appreciated good food and became the nation’s pioneer restaurant critic. From 1936 through 1962, Hines and his “dinner detectives” published “Adventures in Good Eating,” now largely forgotten, but at the time directed Americans to the nation’s best restaurants.
