A corner many often drive past in Bristol Borough once housed a popular hotel for travelers.
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The location of District Judge Frank Peranteau’s courthouse at the corner of Bath and Otter streets is pretty quiet today, but historic records show that was once much different.
Dating back to 1768, the location was the site of a licensed tavern, which had been expanded to become a full hotel by the 1800s. The building went by the name Exchange Hotel and then Closson House Hotel in the 1870s.
The building went through several owners over the decades.
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An April 1908 article in the he Bucks County Gazette said the hotel has been “noted far and wide for its popularity among traveling men and other guests.”
In 1939, The Bristol Daily Courier reported the hotel purchased a neighboring building and joined the two structures, turning three apartments into additional hotel rooms.
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The building in the first half of the 20th Century changed its name from Closson House Hotel to the Keystone Hotel.
In May 1958, a mattress burned at the hotel, but it was thrown out the window and firefighters extinguished the flames before any serious damage was done.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
In August 1958, news reports stated the Keystone Hotel suffered a bad fire that started early in the morning after the bar closed. About 40 customers left their rooms and damage was tallied at $75,000.
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The hotel reopened after and remained in business for years to come.
A large fire destroyed the hotel in the 1980s.
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After the 1980s fire, the hotel remains were taken down and a new courthouse was built at the location.
Today, the district court remains at the site and little is left to mark the location of the hotel that was once popular with travelers. Two old photos of the once-grand hotel hang in the courthouse lobby.
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