Fowler Hotel
by Barry Bauer
Fowler Hotel, circa 1938, at the S.W. corner of M-21 and Main St. in Fowler
Frank W. Geller ran a general merchandise store in this building until he sold it to Frank A. Wieber in 1926. Wieber remodeled the building in 1927 and turned it into a hotel called, Fowler Inn.
Adam and Pauline Schafer became the first tenants until 1928 or 1929, followed by John and Mary Wieber who ran the hotel until September, 1930. Frank Wieber’s daughter, Rosalyn, managed what was now known as, Fowler Hotel, until she married Walter Brown in 1932.
Prohibition ended in May, 1933 and that’s when the hotel got its license to sell beer. In 1938 they got a license to sell liquor by the glass which made it the first license of its kind between Grand Rapids and Flint. This made it necessary to enlarge the bar room.
The building was heated by hand-fired steam heat until a stoker was installed in 1934. At that time the price of stoker coal was $7.00 per ton.
Typical prices in the hotel dining room during the 1930’s were: two eggs toast and coffee, 25 cents; roast pork dinner, 50 cents; family-style chicken dinner 75 cents; hamburger sandwich, 10 cents; two donuts and coffee, 10 cents. In the bar, beer was available at 10 cents per bottle and whiskey sold for 15 cents for one ounce. Single room rates were $1.25 per night.
In June of 1949, the business was sold to Bekke and Jensen. Jensen sold his interest to Lester Chase, and later Bekke sold his share of the business to Don Lucas. In 1971, the hotel was sold to Mr. Mackinnon of Ionia, who ran it until 1973 when it was closed and remodeled into apartments. The liquor license was sold to the bowling alley. In 1982 the building was owned by Larry Theis where he operated a party store on the first floor.
Today the hotel building is gone, replaced by L. J. Theis’ Party Store & BP gas station.
Thanks to Rhonda Feldpausch of Fowler for providing this information.