The Bush House was a four-story hotel situated along Spring Creek in downtown Bellefonte built by Daniel G. Bush. Before it was destroyed by fire in 2006, it was a contributing property in the Bellefonte National Historic District.
The painted brick building, which opened in 1869, stood prominently along nearly a block of West High Street. In its design, Bush incorporated many elements of the Italianate architectural style that was popular in the United States in the 1850s through 1880s. The tall arched windows, prominent quoins and window hoods, and thick cornice ordained with heavy brackets are typical of the style.
With its proximity to the train station, a short walk across High Street, the Bush House catered to travelers and businessmen. While it served primarily as a hotel, it was a mixed-use building with commercial businesses on the street level. In later years, it included a restaurant on its lower level with outdoor seating overlooking Spring Creek.
Dubbed “Bellefonte’s Benefactor” by the Democratic Watchman in the notice of his death, Daniel G. Bush came to the area as a lawyer in the 1850s and left a tangible mark on Bellefonte by building over twenty structures. The home he built for himself still stands on South Spring Street (currently the VFW Hall).
The two most prominent buildings commissioned by Bush were the Hotel and the Bush Arcade, situated on the opposite corner of High Street across Water Street. Like the hotel, the arcade spans nearly a block and is a highlight of Bellefonte’s downtown streetscape.
Bellefonte still boasts about prominent figures who stayed overnight at Bush House Hotel, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, industrialist Henry Ford, and aviators Amelia Earhart, and Charles Lindbergh.
However, the hotel’s most notable guest was Thomas Edison, who brought electric illumination to the town by creating the Bellefonte Electric Light Co. During the 1880s, Edison traveled throughout the country promoting electric light, and in 1883 Bellefonte became the second town in the United States to host his new invention. During his stay at the hotel, the inventor supervised running electric lighting to many businesses in town, including the Bush House, where the ballroom was lit for an advertising display.
The Bush House continued to operate as a hotel throughout the 20th century. It underwent restoration and was known as the Penn Belle Hotel for a brief period before reverting to its original name.
In February 2006, the building was destroyed in a catastrophic multi-alarm fire. One hundred and twenty-five firefighters, including crews from surrounding counties, fought the fire throughout the day, but the building was a total loss.
While it stood, the Bush House Hotel was a reminder of Bellefonte’s prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The vacant site, where a new hotel is proposed to be built, is a reminder of Bellefonte’s buildings lost to fire, as well as the importance of modern fire detection and suppression in historic buildings.
Shannon Wright
Sources:
“A Virtual Walking Tour of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania: The Bush House (Penn Belle) Hotel,” Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Society. http://www.bellefontearts.org/Virtual_walk/Bush_House.htm. (Accessed January 31, 2024).
Beers, J. H. Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion: Containing Biographical
Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Etc. Chicago, IL: 1898.
Elder, Dustin. “The Home for the Traveling Man: Remembering Bellefonte’s Bush House,” Town & Gown, February 2, 2022.
“Historic Building Destroyed in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania,” Firehouse, March, 14, 2006. https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10505303/on-the-job-pennsylvania-destruction-of-landmark-hotel-spurs-efforts-to-protect-historic-structures (Accessed January 31, 2024).
Lewis, Pierce F. “Small Town in Pennsylvania,” Annals of the Association of American Geographers. Vol. 68, No. 2 (June 1972), pp. 323-351.
“The Bellefonte Electric Light Co,” The Centre Democrat, November 22, 1883.
First Published: May 27, 2024
Last Modified: August 28, 2024