Riverside Inn (Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
The Riverside Inn is a hotel and dinner theater
in Cambridge Springs
, Crawford County
in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
. Built in the late-1880s at the height of the mineral spring
s craze in the United States, it was operated as a resort
for vacationers heading to the nearby springs that gave Cambridge Springs its name. The Riverside Inn was the first of many resorts to be built in and the only one that remains from that period. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978.
in Cambridge Springs
, Pennsylvania. On the outside corner of the main and northwestern wings is a three-story, hipped roof
tower. A 2 -story, Shingle style
, gable
d structure called the Casino was originally built as a separate building southeast of the hotel, but is now connected to it. A 2000 feet (609.6 m) boardwalk
connected the hotel to the mineral spring
s. The only part of the boardwalk that remains are the concrete piers. A three-story, frame water tower
with a hipped roof and hooded windows is located on the property.
while searching for petroleum in the village of Cambridge, Pennsylvania. The village was incorporated into the borough
of Cambridgeboro in 1866. Gray examined the water found in Hot Springs
, Arkansas in 1884 and concluded that the water of his spring also had medicinal properties. Gray formed the Gray's Mineral Fountain Company in August 1884 and financed the construction of a sanitorium. The opening of the Riverside Hotel was postponed to July 1, 1888 by construction delays, but was the first built in Crawford County. Disputes between partners of in the company forced the hotel into receivership
. In 1895, the Riverside was sold to William Baird. Baird also purchased Gray's mineral spring for $60,000. Cambridgeboro was renamed Cambridge Springs in 1897 to reflect the status of the borough as a spa town
. Baird built a boardwalk from the hotel to the spring in 1899. Baird's son William Baird, Jr. took over management of the Riverside Hotel in 1910. A golf course
was added in 1913, and was expanded to have 18-holes in 1923.
The American Medical Association
came to the decision in its medical journal
in 1908 that "mineral waters possess no mysterious or occult virtues in the treatment of disease." The organization put pressure onto many of the mineral spring resorts, through the Pure Food and Drug Act
passed by Congress
in 1906, forcing most to close by the 1920s. The Riverside stopped promoting the alleged health benefits of the springs, but was still noted for its other amenities like the golf course.
Dinner theater
Dinner theater is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. Sometimes the play is incidental entertainment, secondary to the meal, in the style of a sophisticated night club, or the play may be a major production with dinner less important, or in some...
in Cambridge Springs
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania
Cambridge Springs is a borough in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,363 at the 2000 census.- History :The village of Cambridge was settled in 1822 and was named for the town of Cambridge, Massachusetts...
, Crawford County
Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 88,765.Crawford County was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County and named for Colonel William Crawford...
in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Built in the late-1880s at the height of the mineral spring
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
s craze in the United States, it was operated as a resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
for vacationers heading to the nearby springs that gave Cambridge Springs its name. The Riverside Inn was the first of many resorts to be built in and the only one that remains from that period. 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...
in 1978.
Design
The Riverside Inn is a wooden, three-story hotel on the banks of French CreekFrench Creek (Allegheny River)
French Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States.- Etymology :...
in Cambridge Springs
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania
Cambridge Springs is a borough in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,363 at the 2000 census.- History :The village of Cambridge was settled in 1822 and was named for the town of Cambridge, Massachusetts...
, Pennsylvania. On the outside corner of the main and northwestern wings is a three-story, hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
tower. A 2 -story, Shingle style
Shingle Style architecture
The Shingle style is an American architectural style made popular by the rise of the New England school of architecture, which eschewed the highly ornamented patterns of the Eastlake style in Queen Anne architecture....
, gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d structure called the Casino was originally built as a separate building southeast of the hotel, but is now connected to it. A 2000 feet (609.6 m) boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
connected the hotel to the mineral spring
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
s. The only part of the boardwalk that remains are the concrete piers. A three-story, frame water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
with a hipped roof and hooded windows is located on the property.
History
In 1859, John H. Gray discovered a springSpring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
while searching for petroleum in the village of Cambridge, Pennsylvania. The village was incorporated into the borough
Borough (Pennsylvania)
In the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a borough is a self-governing municipal entity that is usually smaller than a city. There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships...
of Cambridgeboro in 1866. Gray examined the water found in Hot Springs
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, Arkansas in 1884 and concluded that the water of his spring also had medicinal properties. Gray formed the Gray's Mineral Fountain Company in August 1884 and financed the construction of a sanitorium. The opening of the Riverside Hotel was postponed to July 1, 1888 by construction delays, but was the first built in Crawford County. Disputes between partners of in the company forced the hotel into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
. In 1895, the Riverside was sold to William Baird. Baird also purchased Gray's mineral spring for $60,000. Cambridgeboro was renamed Cambridge Springs in 1897 to reflect the status of the borough as a spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
. Baird built a boardwalk from the hotel to the spring in 1899. Baird's son William Baird, Jr. took over management of the Riverside Hotel in 1910. A golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
was added in 1913, and was expanded to have 18-holes in 1923.
The American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
came to the decision in its medical journal
Medical journal
A public health journal is a scientific journal devoted to the field of public health, including epidemiology, biostatistics, and health care . Public health journals, like most scientific journals, are peer-reviewed...
in 1908 that "mineral waters possess no mysterious or occult virtues in the treatment of disease." The organization put pressure onto many of the mineral spring resorts, through the Pure Food and Drug Act
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act of June 30, 1906, is a United States federal law that provided federal inspection of meat products and forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated food products and poisonous patent medicines...
passed by Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1906, forcing most to close by the 1920s. The Riverside stopped promoting the alleged health benefits of the springs, but was still noted for its other amenities like the golf course.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Crawford County, PennsylvaniaNational Register of Historic Places listings in Crawford County, PennsylvaniaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Crawford County, Pennsylvania.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States...