[6] The hotel, which was the largest in Maine at the time of its completion,[7] was built by John Bundy Brown, at a cost of $300,000, as a symbol of Portland's resurgence after its great fire of 1866.

Designed by New York's Charles Alexander,[5] the hotel featured a granite facade, a black walnut interior and marble fireplaces.

The process had a slow uptake because certain states were required by law to maintain a book of guests' names "for police or other regulation.

"[14] In the early 20th century, National Liberty Insurance Company of America had on office on the hotel's ground floor.

[20] Christopher Hyde mentions the hotel's cocktail lounge in his 2005 book The House of Special Purpose.