New American Hotel owners Brendan Flansburg and Beth McCabe. Photo provided by the American Hotel
BY DEB AND TIM SMITH
If you happened to be privy to the list of real estate transactions issued on April 1 and saw that the American Hotel in Lima had sold the day before, your first reaction might have been, “This must be some kind of April Fools’ joke!” After all, the Hotel had been owned by the Reynold’s family for 106 years. But time marches on, and on the four corners that were once dubbed “The Crossroads of Western New York” the venerable American Hotel will now be marching to the beat of a new owner.
The details of that hypothetical real estate report would have fleshed out the details with the information that Brendan Flansburg and Beth McCabe had purchased the property that has been the home of the American Hotel since 1790 for $320,000 and a staunch promise to honor the history and legacy of this local institution. That’s a lotta legacy to live up to!
We were very much looking forward to making contact with those new owners and we’re here to share the highlights of what we learned. Brendan’s Lima roots go back to his childhood.
“I spent childhood weekends at my grandparents’ house right next to St. Rose,” Brendan shared with us, “and I have many fond memories climbing the church walls and running around town. My grandfather was in the Town Rotary, so I can remember heading to the American Hotel at a very young age and being amazed by the grandeur of the urinal, while fueled by Shirley Temples.”
We absolutely must go sideways for an explanation of the “urinal” reference in the previous paragraph. We wrote a nine-week Sentinel series on the American Hotel back in 2019 so we have first-hand knowledge on this topic. The men’s bathroom at the Hotel has perhaps the largest urinal in the world and when we researched the story with previous owner Pat Reynolds, he told us that it came from the old Lima school where it was installed in 1919. When that building was razed in 1931 Pat’s grandfather bought it from the school and installed it in the Hotel. When we asked if there was a specific backstory on the size – it’s about two feet wide – Pat said all he could come up with was that maybe it made it easier for the little boys to hit their target.
Meanwhile, returning to the topic of the current owners, Brendan went on to tell us that, “Almost a decade in the Army along with some twists and turns have brought me back to Lima with Beth and we couldn’t be happier. My partner Beth is the other half of the American Hotel endeavor and I’m sure you’ll meet her soon. She was raised in Ohio and made her way to Western New York in her late 20’s. She’s an associate English professor at FLCC and wears the ‘smarty pants’ crown in our relationship.”
“Beth and I both appreciate history in broad sense but even more so when it comes to local history. As proprietors, we intend to pay homage to the American Hotel’s rich history while also seeking to become involved in the community. It’s important not to forget where you came from.”
Regarding the building itself, here are some specifics retrieved from our series seven years ago. The existing 13,032 square-foot building was built in 1840. The full-service bar, restaurant, and kitchen occupy the first floor. There are guest rooms on the second floor and the Reynolds family lived on the third floor.
So what are the plans moving forward for the second floor? “We’re not sure exactly how many of the rooms on the second floor will be guest rooms at this point,” Sarah told us, “as some may end up as long-term apartments, and others may be combined so that guests can have ensuite bathrooms instead of a single shared bathroom in the hall. However, there are 12 rooms total on the second floor.”
There will be some work done before the reopening, and Brendan will be taking the lead role in accomplishing that facet of the project. One motif they would like to incorporate into the restoration process is to use periods in American literature as the inspiration for historically themed rooms. Since Beth is a literary buff and English professor, she will be coordinating the literary-theme component of the restoration.
At this point please allow us to slip into a “Q & A” mode and provide some information directly from the new owners.
T&D: One question we have is that Pat had a policy of not allowing any long-term resident guests. Is that policy one you plan to continue?
B&B: We’re definitely exploring long term tenant options. We want to remain for the long term and part of that plan includes setting ourselves up for success by creating steady revenue. Long term tenants provide that opportunity.
T&D: Are you planning on keeping the same menu? The focus on soups… will that tradition be continued?
B&B: The menu will be different. A little bit of the old and a little bit new. We’ll release a menu as we get closer and hope that a little mystery is stoked along the way.
T&D: As you renovate, are you going to be renting rooms out?
B&B: Right now we don’t have major renovation plans. That doesn’t rule out renovations in the future, but right now we are focusing on restoration type activities such as cleaning, stripping paint and repairing. Whatever we endeavor to do will need to be carefully thought out. Having received the keys in April, we have just began speaking with all the professionals involved in bigger changes but plan on opening prior to any major moves. The plan is to have rentable rooms available when we open late summer.
T&D: We read somewhere that you were shooting for an opening at the end of the summer; will that coincide with the Crossroads Festival? Jim Shelly is a good friend of ours and someone you’ve probably had contact with while pursuing this endeavor.
B&B: Opening for the Crossroads festival is a great goal and one we’ll be working feverishly to hit. Understanding the magnitude of logistics and planning required, late summer seemed a good window to shoot for. Jim Shelly and I recently had the opportunity to meet. He and my father Bill graduated HFL together, pretty cool. Jim was not only kind but wanting to help, something we all hope for in neighbors. Actually, every neighbor I’ve had the chance to introduce myself to has been really nice. We’re really looking forward to getting to know the community better as we move forward.
