Tremont's Troubled Past

It's been 15 years gone, and longtime residents still lament its demise and demolition.

In its place is a Rite-Aid - an eyesore to many where the ghosts of power business lunches and mom and dad anniversary dinners exist.

According to a "Back in Time" feature by Dick Shearer of the Lansdale Historical Society, the Tremont was the go-to restaurant when it was owned by Marcel Winniger.

Yet, perhaps the Tremont was destined for failure, for demolition; its destiny may be that it would be talked about for decades, a story for grandmom and mom and dad to reminisce about with the good ol' days of Lansdale.

Shearer said the Tremont had a troubled past that haunted it to the very end.

The Hotel Tremont was built in 1890 by Isaac Heebner, son of David Heebner, the patriarch of Heebner Agricultural Works. It was designed by Lansdale architect Milton B. Bean.

"Citizens of the bustling railroad town beamed with pride as the fine home was being constructed on a lot at Main and Broad streets, adjacent to the farm implement factory and right across the street from dad David Heebner's expansive house, later known as Eitherton," wrote Shearer.

People would set up lawn chairs and watch its construction, and citizens getting off the railroad knew they had something to see in Lansdale.

Eventually, Heebner got tired of the house, and put it up for sale.

It was purchased by A.G. Freed, who wanted to turn it into a hotel.

Freed made the Tremont bigger and better: he built an addition closest to Broad Street, doubling its size, and erected a stable for guests to board their horses.

Heebner sold Tremont to Freed for $17,000, and then Freed put $25,000 into just the stable alone. In 1892, this was big money, Shearer said.

Upon completion, Hotel Tremont was Lansdale's finest hotel. Travelers would head to it upon exiting the train in the borough.

Then, the trouble began.

Freed, Shearer wrote, wound up $40,000 in debt in two years. Creditors were calling and they wanted their money.

He got two years to get out of the red, but Freed was unsuccessful.

From there, Hotel Tremont got new owner after new owner. The only legacy Freed left behind was the numerous problems that remained with the building for the remainder of its life.

For one thing, the addition - in all its aesthetic glory and glamour - had a weak foundation, and it buckled in the 1920s.

A wing of the old section of the Tremont had to be torn down. In its place was a three-story wing that most people remember to this day - it housed Cuthbert's Drug Store, a barber shop, beauty salon and upstairs rooms.

It didn't become a dining destination until Winniger took over in 1946.

Being French meant more than just kissing the female diners - Marcel was also a whiz in the kitchen, concocting high-quality food.

Business picked up, and Winniger made enough money to renovate the dining room and add on to the kitchen to the rear of the building.

Yet, all those renovations caused the structural integrity of Hotel Tremont to take a hit.

Winniger died in 1988 and his beloved hotel passed through the family to investors and proprietors.

Perhaps the biggest trouble - not one could restore the charm and ambiance, Shearer wrote.

Tremont closed around 100 years after it first opened. In its final days, only a part of Heebner's original house remained, the walls were compromised by so much redevelopment and parking was a nightmare.

One day, in 1997, citizens gathered outside Tremont once again to gaze in wonder - only this time there was a wrecking ball.

Lansdale Historical Society is seeking members. Annual memberships, due by Jan. 31 of each year, are: $20 an individual; $25 a couple; $40 a patron; and $55 for sustaining members.

Lifetime memberships are available for those 55 and older at $300 per individual and $500 per couple.

Business and corporate memberships are available at $100 a year.

You cand download a membership application from our photo gallery.

The Jenkins Homestead and Historical Research Center is open Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. Contact the center at (215) 855-1872 or at info@lansdalehistory.org.