{"id":30785,"date":"2011-06-29T06:24:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-29T12:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wend.ca\/?p=30785"},"modified":"2021-12-29T17:00:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T22:00:09","slug":"hotel-baker-st-charles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=30785","title":{"rendered":"Hotel Baker, St. Charles"},"content":{"rendered":"

I like that just about every promotional picture of St. Charles on the web integrates the Hotel Baker in some manner. Some pictures are taken from behind water, others incorporate flowers, but it seems this little town is proud of their sandstone coloured hotel.<\/p>\n

According to the hotel website<\/a>, in it’s heyday, the hotel hosted President John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Louis Armstrong, Guy Lombardo, and Lawrence Welk.<\/p>\n

Built on the backbone of what used to be an old mill, the hotel was built by St. Charles resident, Colonel Edward J. Baker — the recipient of a vast Texaco Oil Company fortune. Construction was completed in 1928 and after completion the hotel became Baker’s home. He lived there until his death in 1959 (31 years). <\/p>\n

After his death the hotel changed hands and purpose many times only to become rather derelict. In recent years, the community campaigned to save the hotel. The hotel was restored to it’s original state and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places<\/a><\/em>. <\/p>\n