KEY CITY HOUSE

Key City House envelope.

Key City House. The Key City House was erected about 1848, by Thomas C. Fassitt, who designed and used the building as a store and warehouse. The 1858-1859 Dubuque City Directory gave the address as 50 and 52 Main. Russ and Jones were the proprietors.

In 1854, additions were made to the original plan and it was used only for guests, transient and permanent. It was then called the BEAUBIEN HOUSE. Later when Dubuque was named the " Key City," the house, adopted the name.

In February 1864 the hotel was purchased by A. Harger of Milwaukee. (1) It was leased in March to Buckley and Waney who operated the Desoto House in Galena. (2) By 1874 the hotel was operated by W. W. PYNE. The hotel and its restaurant became involved in an "eating house war" with the opening of the Julien. To attract customers, Pyne traveled to St. Louis to purchase an omnibus to carry customers from the ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD depot at no charge. (3) Pyne returned with a vehicle costing $900. (4) The Dubuque Herald on July 1, 1874 reported that the Key City free omnibus transportation had led to "considerable strife" among the hotels competing for business. The paper reported the flurry of claims to attract customers reminded it of the clucking of "laying hens," but that it was good for the community. (5) The apparent success of the Pyne omnibus led to William Pauls, formerly a foreman at a livery in town, announcing his own omnibus on July 2, 1874. (6)

When Pyne left the hotel in 1877, management shifted to W. D. Buckman. (7) The hotel had sixty rooms and among the renovations under the new management was the addition of a $300 annunicator, an electrical signalling device. (8) J. M. Nolan and W. J. Brown leased the bar in June 1879. (9)

In April 1879 the hotel hired a French chef from Chicago "able to roast anything from a frog's leg to an ox's carcass." (10)

The Daily Herald reported in June, 1880 that the Key City House had such a bonanza that guests were turned away after all the cots were filled and the halls longitudinal bed rooms. (11)

The 1859-1860 through 1889 Dubuque City Directory listed the northeast corner of 3rd and Main.

The hotel was owned in 1899 by James N. Hill.

Dubuque City Directory, 1857-1858. Photo courtsy: Bob Reding

See: MERCHANTS' HOTEL

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Source:

1. "Key City House," Dubuque Democratic Herald, March 1, 1864, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A36e8EsbUSoC&dat=18640301&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

2. "Key City House Rented," Dubuque Democratic Herald, March 9, 1864, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A36e8EsbUSoC&dat=18640309&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

3. "A Free Buss (sic)", Dubuque Herald, June 19, 1874, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18740619&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

4. "The Key City Omnibus," Dubuque Herald, June 20, 1874 p. 4. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18740620&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

5. "Free Buss (sic)," Dubuque Herald, July 1, 1874, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18740701&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

6. "Little Crusaders," Dubuque Herald, July 2, 1874, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18740703&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

7. "Lease of the Key City House," Dubuque Herald, March 2, 1877, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18770302&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

8. "The Key City House," Dubuque Herald, March 4, 1877, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18770304&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

9. "Caught on the Fly," Dubuque Herald, June 1, 1879, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18790601&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

10. "Caught on the Fly," Dubuque Herald, April 8, 1879, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18790406&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

11. "Caught on the Fly," The Daily Herald, June 19, 1880, p. 4