Elephant Hotel
Encyclopedia
You may be looking for the Coney Island
elephant hotel, also known as Lucy the Elephant
.
The Elephant Hotel is a National Historic Landmark
located in Somers, New York
, a town in Westchester County
, New York
, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) in 1974 as Somers Town House and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005 as Elephant Hotel. It is also a contributing property
in the NRHP-listed Somers Hamlet Historic District
.
The Elephant Hotel was established by Hachaliah Bailey
after he bought an African Elephant
, which he named "Old Bet". Bailey intended to use the elephant for farm work but the number of people it attracted caused Bailey to take her throughout the northeast. Bailey's success caused numerous others to tour with exotic animals, and during the 1830s the old style circus and Bailey's attractions merged to form the modern circus. Due to this, Somers is known as the "Cradle of the American Circus."
Old Bet died on tour in 1827. Bailey later erected the Elephant Hotel in Somers in honor of Old Bet, and it was purchased by the town in 1927. It is a town landmark
and was dedicated a National Historic Landmark
in 2005.
The Elephant Hotel is currently the Somers Town Hall. It is located at 335 US 202
, across from the northern end of NY 100
.
The NRHP listing is described in its NRHP nomination document.
entitled a 1994 album, and a song on that album, "Elephant Hotel," and the building is featured on the cover art.
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
elephant hotel, also known as Lucy the Elephant
Lucy the Elephant
Elephant hotel redirects here. For the National Historic Landmark located in Somers, New York, see Elephant Hotel.Lucy the Elephant is a six-story elephant-shaped example of novelty architecture, constructed of wood and tin sheeting in 1882 by James V...
.
The Elephant Hotel is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
located in Somers, New York
Somers, New York
Somers is a town located in northeastern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 20,434...
, a town in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP) in 1974 as Somers Town House and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005 as Elephant Hotel. It is also a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
in the NRHP-listed Somers Hamlet Historic District
Somers Hamlet Historic District
The Somers Hamlet Historic District is located along US 202 in that town in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is the stretch of highway between the junctions with NY 100 and NY 116, including small portions of both highways...
.
History
Hachaliah Bailey
Hachaliah Bailey is the eponym of Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia and a relative to several famous individuals involved in early American circuses...
after he bought an African Elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, which he named "Old Bet". Bailey intended to use the elephant for farm work but the number of people it attracted caused Bailey to take her throughout the northeast. Bailey's success caused numerous others to tour with exotic animals, and during the 1830s the old style circus and Bailey's attractions merged to form the modern circus. Due to this, Somers is known as the "Cradle of the American Circus."
Old Bet died on tour in 1827. Bailey later erected the Elephant Hotel in Somers in honor of Old Bet, and it was purchased by the town in 1927. It is a town landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
and was dedicated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 2005.
The Elephant Hotel is currently the Somers Town Hall. It is located at 335 US 202
U.S. Route 202 in New York
U.S. Route 202 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from New Castle, Delaware, to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, US 202 extends from the New Jersey state line near Suffern to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster. While most of US 202 is signed...
, across from the northern end of NY 100
New York State Route 100
New York State Route 100 is a major north–south state highway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins parallel to Interstate 87 at a junction with the Cross County Parkway in the city of Yonkers and runs through most of the length of the county via the city of...
.
The NRHP listing is described in its NRHP nomination document.
Museum of the Early American Circus
The Somers Historical Society occupies the third floor of the building. The Society operates the Museum of the Early American Circus, which is open on Thursday afternoons and for special holidays.Popular Culture
Japanese pop star Akiko YanoAkiko Yano
is a Japanese pop and jazz musician and singer. She was born as Akiko Suzuki in Tokyo and raised in Aomori, Aomori, and later began her singing career in the mid-1970s...
entitled a 1994 album, and a song on that album, "Elephant Hotel," and the building is featured on the cover art.
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Westchester County, New York
External links
- Elephant Hotel history - Somers Historical Society
- Elephant Hotel, State Route 116 Vicinity, Somers, Westchester County, New York: 5 photos, 11 drawings, 7 data pages, and supplemental material, at Historic American Building Survey
- Museum of the Early American Circus - Somers Historical Society