Central Hotel Then and Now

317 1/2 Walnut / Gunsmoke Street

I thought writing about the Central Hotel would be a pretty simple exercise but because what we commonly think of as one building is actually two separate structures, constructed in different years, it’s a bit confusing.

Many of you already know that Walnut Street between Second and Third Avenues was residential until after the turn of the 20th century. Street numbers were standardized around 1909 and the 1911 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map is the first to show both the old and new addresses. At that time, a large frame dwelling was situated at the southeast corner of Third and Walnut and the two lots to the east were empty, aside from a tiny frame building.

Brothers George and John Martin constructed a building located at 313-315 Walnut for their Chandler and Cleveland auto dealership in 1921.

That October, it was announced that the City Fire and Police departments would be relocated to the east end of the building at 313 Walnut. The large house still stood on the corner. By 1923, an establishment called the Central Rooms was advertised above the fire station.

The 1926 Sanborn was published in September of that year, the same month it was announced that George Martin was building an adjacent structure at the corner of Third and Walnut. This addition would expand the Central Rooms to a total of 26.

Clevenger Battery & Electric Company occupied the corner space when the building was completed in December of 1926.

At that time, the upstairs business was still called Central Rooms and it boasted first class, modern rooms with steam heat.

By 1928, W. V. and Stella Frankenstein were operating Frankenstein’s Permanent Wave Shoppe from a room in the establishment, which had been renamed Central Hotel.

Tire Service Company began occupying the corner spot around 1929.

By 1936, Owens Service Station was operating on the corner with the tire business next door. Leroy Bretz bought the station in May of 1937 and was joined by Dowdy Brothers Transfer.

Around 1938, B. L. Sullivan assumed operation of the service station and renamed it Sullie’s. In February of 1939, Sullivan was building a new service station at the northeast corner of Third and Walnut where the Fidelity Drive-Thru branch is today. Once it was completed, the space at 319 Walnut was used for storage.

Shown here is the Central Hotel along with Sullie’s “The World’s Worst Service Station” and Salem’s Furniture.

By 1946, 313 Walnut had begun its long run as a haircare establishment with Creech Barber Shop and House of Beauty. The following year, Murphy Radio Service and Service Electric were in the spot at 315 Walnut. The next door down was Dodge City Shoe Shop. There was also a split in the hotel accommodations with the Boot Hill Tourist Lodge occupying the east end of the second floor.

Central Hotel’s street address became 317 1/2 Walnut at that time. By 1953, the east end had been renamed Boot Hill Hotel and the establishment on the corner was Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop. Flowers by Irene was established at 315 Walnut. Boot Hill Hotel became Boot Hill Apartments sometime between 1953 and 1955.

This parade photo of Jim Arness shows the signage along newly renamed Gunsmoke Street.

Walnut became Gunsmoke Street in 1958 and hotel materials were updated accordingly.

Central Hotel was vacant by the mid-1970s but the Boot Hill Apartments soldiered on for a couple more decades. Maid-Rite was replaced by Jan’s Coffee Shop around 1977 and then Pit Bar-B-Q about a year after that. The corner space then sat vacant until Brier & Hale Music Co. of Liberal opened their Dodge City store around 1980.

In the 1990s, 317 Gunsmoke was occupied by Rusty Nail Boot & Saddle Repair. They moved to a place on Wyatt Earp in about 1997. Around 2005, Flowers by Irene was replaced by Creative Creations at 315 Gunsmoke. A few different grocery stores operated in the space at 317 including Fruteria La Industria. About that time, Gunsmoke Antiques was located at 315.

Brier and Hale closed around 2016, at which time Tri-County Insurance was next door at 317 Gunsmoke. Red Beard Coffee opened at 319 Gunsmoke in December of 2017. New Creation Gift Boutique is currently at 315 and Pure Beauty is next door to the east in a spot which has been dedicated to haircare for decades.

This is how the former Central Hotel looks today:

It has been fun to watch the changes taking place in the old hotel spaces as well as the revived main floor storefronts. I’m including a link here to one of the VRBO listings so you can see what has been done with the upstairs rooms.

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