Date in History: Early 20th century
The old Lawton Hotel used to be a familiar landmark on the corner of South Third Street and Janesville Avenue in Fort Atkinson. At one time the Congregational Church’s parsonage, the expanded house was purchased in 1901 by Raymond “Bob” Lawton who operated it as the Lawton Hotel. It had a great location, right across from the railway depot, and back when the trains were coming through Fort on a regular basis, it was one of the business places in the city.
After 30 years of running the hotel, Lawton sold it in 1939 to the Langholff family who continued to operate it as the Lawton Hotel. The building was finally demolished in October of 1973 – going down on the same day as the attractive little railway depot across the street.
This historic document aired on the radio as an Historic Minute on 05/09/2005.