The eight-story King Cole Hotel welcomed hundreds of guests each night during the 1920s through 1940s. Standing at the corner of Willow Street and Yale Place overlooking Loring Park, the hotel was a destination for countless local celebrations and special events. Overnight guests included both visitors passing through as well as long-term residents. Bugsy Siegel slept here. The Salvation Army purchased the building in 1949 and converted it to the Evangeline Residence for Girls, a residential home for professional women between the ages of 17 and 35 with weekly rates starting at $14 per week. The building was demolished in 1976 and replaced by the Booth Manor, a Salvation Army-owned senior high-rise.
Cedar Imboden Phillips serves as executive director for the Hennepin History Museum. Learn more about the museum and its offerings at hennepinhistory.org or 870-1329.
