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i Digitized by the Internet Archive 2013 in http://archive.org/details/annualreport1993swam ANNUAL REPORT 1993 SWAMPSCOTT MASSACHUSETTS In May of 1969 the New Ocean House Hotel was completely destroyed in one of the most spectacular single-building fires in Massachusetts history. The main complex was comprised of a wooden, five-story buiilding, 450 feet long, and the "fireproof" Puritan Hall, eight-stories tall. The history of the hotel began on what is now Galloupes Point in 1835. Destroyed twice by fire by 1882, the Ocean House on Puritan Road was built in 1884. In 1902 it was expanded and became the "New" Ocean House. The hotel was expanded again in 1910. In 1917, Puritan Hall was added. In 1923 the hotel was as it appears on the cover photo. There were over 300 guest rooms in the main complex and several cottages on the hotel grounds. The main lobby had a ballroom and movie theater, barber shop, beauty salon, health clinic, coffee shop, dentist, library and card room. Severahsmall shops featuring clothing, flowers, gifts, antiques, candy and sundries, including daily newspapers from all over the country, extended along the lobby to the main dining room and front desk. In Puritan Hall was the children's dining room, music room and smoking room. There was also a cock- tail lounge, golf shop, photography studio and dance studio on the lower level. The'lower\area not open to the public housed a bakery, a tailor, a fish market, housekeeping center, laundry, butcher shop and print shop which along with menus, programs and several monthly social magazines, published the hotel's daily paper of arrivals, departures and events. The hotel was truly a self-contained city. The late 50s saw the beginning of air travel and shorter vacations in one place. "Grand old dames" like the New Ocean House quickly declined. No longer did most of the guests come around Memorial Day and leave on Labor Day. The rather formal and gentile life style was in rapid decline by the younger generation of guests who didn't enjoy formal dressing for dinners or for listening to quiet orchestra music in the evening. Children under 12 could only have des- sert in the main dining room in the evening on special occasions like family birthdays or anniversaries. Loud or raucous behavior after dinner was simply not tolerated. The hotel was sold in 1961 and completely remodeled. The complex now sported a bright new look to the lobby and grounds, a swimming pool and ca- bana on the beach side and night club entertainers on weekends such as Joey Bishop and Kay Ballard. Two of the cottages (now private homes), the exedra in Johnson Park on the beach and the garage on Humphrey Street are the only remaining structures left of this once expansive complex and grounds. Some of the more famous people to stay at the hotel were Calvin Coolidge, John F. Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, Helen Keller, William Jennings Bryant, Frank- lin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Billy Graham, Babe Ruth, Walter Brennan, Guy Lombardo, Mary Pickford and many more sports, film and political personalities. ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TOWN OFFICERS SWAMPSCOTT MASSACHUSETTS For the year ending December 31, 1993 SWAWIPSCCnPUBUCLiBilAfiy \0