Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Hawthorne Hotel in Salem is celebrating its 100th birthday in style.
Wednesday, July 23, marks a century since the hotel in downtown Salem first opened. It was named for Nathaniel Hawthorne, a Salem native and American author who wrote novels such as The Scarlet Letter.
The hotel will be holding a block party on Hawthorne Blvd. from 5:30 to 7:30 on Wednesday, complete with live music, street vendors, food trucks and a car show featuring cars from each decade.
Some guests at the hotel this week were unaware of the occasion.
“I just feel lucky to have happened upon a neat hotel on [its] 100th birthday,’ said Michael Klenna, who’s visiting with his family from Los Angeles.
The hotel’s lobby brings visitors through its history, including the days-long celebrations for its grand opening in 1925.
Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
According to the hotel, thousands gathered for a parade featuring the Salem Cadet Band, and several banquets were held for the contractors and stockholders of the hotel in the days leading up to the opening.
“To imagine all the great and wonderful balls and different things that must've happened here … I’m so glad that places like this are preserved,” Klenna said.
William Slade from Washington, D.C. said he and his wife are regular visitors and appreciate the history of the hotel.
“I know it opened in 1925 when things were very different and you could stay here for a dollar and a half and now it's a little more,” Slade said. “We like hotels that have some character.”
WBZ’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.