Day One Hundred and Twenty-Four: Ashes to Ashes

High above 7th Street renovations are taking place on the exterior of the historic Eldridge Hotel in downtown Lawrence.

This is not the first time the hotel, which first opened in 1855 as the Free State Hotel, has seen renovations. In fact, the hotel was completely destroyed on two separate occasions by raiders who did not share in the anti-slavery sentiment that its name represented.

After the second razing of the hotel (and the city) by Quantrill in 1863 the hotel was renamed The Eldridge after the colonel who rebuilt it.

The seal of Lawrence, shown here, bears a phoenix that represents the city's (literal) rising from the ashes. The Eldridge embodies the spirit of the phoenix twice over, and remains a proud landmark for Lawrence residents.

You can read more about the history of the Eldridge Hotel here.

Oh, and check out room 506 while you're there!