DuPont Hotel and Clubhouse

Built in the early days of the town, the hotel served as housing for many single employees who lived outside of DuPont. The clubhouse served as a neighborhood gathering spot for nearly 50 years, having a bowling alley and a kitchen/bar. Today a private home occupies the lot they stood on.

The DuPont Hotel was built in 1911 to provide additional housing to single workers or those who did not live in town. It was 3 stories tall with 30 rooms. Two of the suite rooms on the first floor were used as the medical office for the company town’s doctor, Dr. John Walker. Beside the hotel used to stand the DuPont Clubhouse which was built in 1910. The clubhouse provided a place for entertainment for the town with dances regularly happening in the dancehall and town dinners. There was a two-lane bowling alley which was the oldest wooden bowling alley in Washington. People in town formed bowling teams and regularly held tournaments. By 1912 the DuPont Company had an issue with employees going to Tacoma for drinks and not being able to return to work the next day so to prevent this they wanted to serve liquor in the clubhouse, but before the clubhouse could sell liquor the state required the town to incorporate which they voted to do in 1912. For 8 years the clubhouse served alcohol until prohibition came into effect. After a few years the town unincorporated until 1951 when it reincorporated.

By 1930 there were more transportation options with more workers owning a card. Several boarding houses were available in town which eliminated the need for a hotel, so the company decided to tear it down. Much of the furniture was donated to Goodwill and the doctor’s office was moved to a brick house on Barksdale and Repauno.

 The DuPont Company offered to sell the clubhouse to the city for $1, but because it needed maintenance, mainly a new furnace, Mayor Robinson decided not to buy it. The company decided to tear it down in 1964. A house was built in 70s where the hotel originally stood, and the rest of the land is an open field. 

Munyan, May. DuPont, the story of a company town. Puyallup, WA. The Valley Press, Inc., 1972.