Jerome is NEAT!

Scott and I decided to sneak away for a day and we went to Jerome. We needed some time and a change of scenery. Here is the hotel we stayed at. It's called the Grand Hotel. It is undergoing some nice renovations, but it is still very, very old.

Built in 1926, it was originally the United Verde Hospital. In 1930, it was written up as the most modern and well equipped hospital in Arizona and possible the Western States. The Hospital was closed in 1950 as the mine operation was being phased out. The building stood unused for the next 44 years until the rehabilitation plans started in 1994.

The building is one of the highest public structures in the Verde Valley, (5240 Ft.). The view from our veranda was amazing (as seen below):

The Liberty Theater originally opened in 1918. It featured silent movies and vaudeville acts until its closing in 1929.

After the theater closed in 1929, the downstairs was converted into the Liberty Cafe. Then, in the 1960's, it was changed again into a retail and antique shop.
The upstairs area remained unchanged since its closing.

Jerome sliding jail slid over 220'

Connor Hotel in 1899. Before the turn of the century, David Connor's hotel had burned to the ground twice, along with many other fine buildings in Jerome's crowded downtown.

David Connor was fortunate in that he was one of the only two business owners in town to carry insurance, in the handsome amount of $14,500. As a result, he was immediately able to rebuild the hotel, unlike many other buildings lost to fire in the conflagrations that swept Jerome before the turn of the century.

The Douglas Mansion has been an eye-catching landmark in Jerome since 1916, when James S. Douglas built it on the hill just above his Little Daisy Mine.
Douglas designed the house as a hotel for mining officials and investors as well as for his own family. It featured a wine cellar, billiard room, marble shower, steam heat, and, much ahead of its time, a central vacuum system. Douglas was most proud of the fact that the house was constructed of adobe bricks that were made on the site.
He also built the Little Daisy Hotel near the mine as a dormitory for the miners. The concrete structure still stands.
This former home is now a museum devoted to history of the Jerome area and the Douglas family.