Brazelton House Hotel

One of the larger buildings in Mount Pleasant, the former Brazelton House Hotel remains an enduring landmark in the city's commercial district. Built in 1856, it is the older of the two surviving 19th century hotel buildings (the other is the Harlan House Hotel, which was not originally a hotel) and is an excellent example of Italianate architecture. It is named after the Brazelton family, which was one of the city's leading families in the mid-1800s. The head of the family, William Brazelton, was one of six directors of the Brazelton House Company, whose aim was to build a large hotel in anticipation of the arrival of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad (B&MR). The building is now an apartment building called Brazelton Lofts with commercial space on the first floor.

The arrival of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad sparked a building boom in Mount Pleasant that included the construction of the Brazelton House Hotel. William Brazelton and the other directors of the company believed that the city would need a first-class hotel. The company was incorporated in May 1856 and it bought the property that month. While the exact reason why the hotel was named Brazelton is unknown, the Brazelton family was prominent in Mount Pleasant. William Brazelton was not only directly involved in building the hotel he was also concerned with the city's development in general. His brother, Samuel, who was a general in the Black Hawk War, served as Henry County commissioner in 1836 and encouraged commercial development and supported local education efforts.

The former hotel is L-shaped, four-stories tall, and built of red brick. It features arched windows on the second, third and fourth floors, and a wrought-iron balcony above the main entrance. Sets of triple windows are located on each floor above the main entrance, and wooden cornice with Italianate brackets runs along the top of the building. Over the years, the hotel underwent some changes, including the construction of a two-story central lobby in 1911.

The hotel had financial problems from the outset and appears to have never been truly successful. When it was built, the future looked bright for Mount Pleasant but the local economy and community could not support it; the hotel was simply too big. It was sold and resold on several occasions and eventually closed in 1970. It seems it then fell into disrepair before being rehabilitated into apartments. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Naumann, Molly Myers & Jacobsen, James E. "Brazelton House Hotel." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. September 22, 1986. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/86002700_text.