Throwback Thursday: The story of the Rauscher House and HOTEL Inc.
Nearly 135 years ago, the Rauscher House was one of the most prominent hotels in Kentucky. Formerly located at 818 Adams Street, across from the former location of the Louisville & Nashville railroad depot, the Rauscher was built in 1891 specifically for railway travelers coming through Bowling Green. With 45 state-of-the-art, modern rooms, the hotel was known for its cuisine and amenities. Fast forward 90 years later, after the hotel had been shut down for 70 years, the founders of Bowling Green’s H.O.T.E.L. I.N.C. decided to use the old lodging house for the needy – before it burned to the ground in 1982. Not only is this the story of the Rauscher Hotel, but also of the founding of today’s HOTEL Inc.
The Rauscher was built in 1891 near the corner of Adams and 8th Streets in downtown Bowling Green for Danwick and Olivia Webster Rauscher. It was three stories tall with an Italianate façade. Mrs. Webster ran the hotel until her death in 1913. Her son-in-law, Captain J.H. Webb, then ran it as Webb’s hotel until it closed in 1923 when the new L&N depot was constructed in its current location on Kentucky St. At the time, the hotel was one of the most modern in the area, with electricity being installed in 1911, then running water and telephones being run to every guest room in 1921.
After the hotel closed in 1923, it operated as a grocery store for a limited time. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and it was dilapidated and vacant at the time. But that all changed in 1981, when Derryck McLuhan incorporated H.O.T.E.L. I.N.C., “helping others through extending love in the name of Christ,” a nonprofit whose mission is to assist the needy. McLuhan wanted to use the old hotel building as a lodging space for the homeless or disadvantaged. A 1982 Bowling Green Daily News article tells the story of how a clothing donation to those in need sparked the idea for utilizing the old hotel space in this way.
Unfortunately, the old building burnt to the ground in 1984. According to the fire department in a Bowling Green Daily News article, arson was suspected. Not only did the former hotel burn, but most of the entire block was destroyed. It was after this fire that HOTEL Inc. moved into the Delafield area where it is today. HOTEL Inc. continues to provide services to those in need, and in recent years established a Delafield Co-op Market with fresh produce from local growers. HOTEL Inc. also provides free, accessible educational programming in finance and other life skills, and you can find the Delafield Co-op Market popping up at other community events throughout the year.
