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 Hotel on the left is now on the National Register but sits 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 Townsend closed in 1982 and as of 2005 still sits vacant occupied only by pigeons, the bottom floor windows boarded up with plywood panels and the upper floor windows broken out and open to the weather. 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 Gladstone, the Henning, and the Arkeon are gone now. The days of the grand hotels are gone, 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. Instead of dining in the Little Peacock Room of the Gladstone, 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 on the Interstate. The restaurant will feature the same menu and "new" items in Casper as featured in 1450 other restuarants in the chain.

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 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.

A. E. Chandler's Service Station.

North Platte Photos continued on next page.