At the intersection of Center and First Street were three of Casper finest hotels, the Gladstone on the right, past the Gladstone was the Henning, discussed on a previous page. The vertical sign on the right side of the street next to the pickup truck advertises "Dancing." The building is the Arkeon Dancing Acadamy. See views lower on page.

Center Street looking south, approx. 1938.

On the left is the Townsend Hotel which boasted of 135 guest rooms, a billiard room in the basement and, after Prohibition ended, the Tomahawk Bar. The building is now on the National Register but after it closed in 1982, sat until 2008 forlorn, inhabited only by pigions. The hotel was designed by architect Arthur M. Garbutt. Garbutt arrived in Casper in 1912 from Fort Collins. In addition to the Townsend, Garbutt designed St. Anthony's at the corner of 7th and Center, the old Natrona High School, the Elks Lodge, and the Roosevelt School. In Fort Collins, Garbutt designed the nucleus of the present Elks Lodge and worked with architect Montezuma Fuller in the design of the YMCA. The Gladstone Hotel on the right was famous for its Crystal Ball Room.

Bandstand, Crystal Ballroom, Gladstone Hotel.

The Gladstone was constructed in 1923 by Charles A. Smith and his wife Phyetta Smith. Following the end of prohibition a bar and lounge was added to the hotel. thier son C. Hampton Smith joined his parents in the operation of the hotel. In 1954, an addition and rennovations were made to the facility. In 1961 was property was sold to Dr. Harry Stuckenhoff and Jack Perry.

Bar, Crystal Ballroom, Gladstone Hotel.

In 1965, Dr. Stuckenhoff bought out his partner Perry and, in turn, sold the property to Earl Johnson, Sr. and Earl Johnson, Jr. The Johnsons within a year defaulted on the mortgages and in 1967 foreclosure proceedings were brought. After several years of litigation, including two appeals to the Wyoming Supreme Court, the only part of the hotel operation deemed to have any economic value was the liquor license.

Interior, Arkeon Dancing Acadamy, 1922.

The Arkeon is gone now. The days of the grand hotels on Center Street have passed. The Gladstone and Henning have been razed. No longer can one sit in the public rooms as the movers and shakers of Casper pass through. Instead, out on I-25 are the ubiquitous franchise hotels in which the only occasion to sit in the lobby is in the morning for the free continental breakfast.

Gladstone Hotel Tuesday Night Buffet.

No longer may one dine in the Little Peacock Room of the Gladstone or enjoy its Tuesday night buffet. Instead, as the sun sets in the west and the wind springs up, one may cross a parking lot to a themed franchise restuarant out on an interchange of the Interstate. The restaurant will feature the same menu and "new" items in Casper as featured in 1450 other restuarants in the chain.

Center Street, approx. 1960. Photo by William P. Sanborn, courtesy of Stephen Quinlan.

Compare the Townsend with the next photo. The Townsend sits forelorn with windows broken out. The two one-story buildings on the left are gone and the area is a parking lot. But there is hope, hope in the form of adaptive reuse as a judicial center.

Townsend Hotel, 2005. Photo by Geoff Dobson

In the 2004 Election, the populace voted on a proposition to convert the building into a judicial center financed by an addition to the sales tax. The existing courthouse is overcrowded with only two courtrooms for three judges. Of the two courtrooms, only one is suitable for a jury trial. The proposition was defeated. Nothwithstanding the defeat at the polls in July 2007, the Board of County Commissioners purchased the hotel for $1,230,000.00 As of October 2007, the cost of renovation into a new Judicial Center was estimated to cost between $22,000,000.00 and $24,000,000.00. Ultimately after another electoral defeat, the County proceeding with the renovation which cost an estimate $25,000,000. In the Spring of 2009 as renovation proceeded another controversy arose over the "Hotel Townsend Ghost Sign" on the side of the building. One member of the Development Authority indicated that he thought the sign was "crappy." Others believed that the sign was a remberance of the history of downtown Casper when it was dominated by "grand hotels," all of which are now gone. In June, 2009. the Board of County Commissioners authorized the sign to remain. Renovation puts the county into compliance with state law requiring a courtroom suitable for a 12-person jury trial for each district judge.

A. E. Chandler's Service Station.

North Platte Photos continued on next page.