Hotel Margaret

The Hotel Margaret was a notable building in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by Frank Freeman and completed in 1889, the hotel was the locality's first skyscraper and for many years remained its tallest building. It was destroyed by fire during renovations. It seems that a person who was using taping compound left a heater on and forgot to turn it off which started the fire that destroyed the hotel in 1980.

History

The hotel was built for John Arbuckle, a Brooklyn coffee and sugar importer, and named after his sister Margaret. Prominent Brooklyn-based architect Frank Freeman was commissioned to design the building, which was completed in 1889.

For many years, the hotel remained the tallest building in the locality, becoming a "familiar and appreciated" sight to the locals. It was home to several prominent artists, including etcher Joseph Pennell, Nobel Prize-winning novelist Sigrid Undset, and Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

The building was remodelled in 1958, and at this time given a coat of "neutral-toned" paint which caused it to lose some of its polychromatic appeal. In 1980, work began on converting the hotel into condominiums, but the building caught fire during the renovation and burned down.