Above is a picture of the Donaldson Hotel, a bit sad after 117 years of service, before remodeling began by Karen Burgum.

In the spring of 2001, Karen Burgum bought the property and began working with the architectural firm of Barbour and LaDouceur of Minneapolis to convert the Donaldson to an upscale boutique hotel. For information about the present Hotel Donaldson, visit its website.

The illustration above center is an enlargement of the entrance in 1927. One can see an alcove with pillars and a roof suspended by chains. To the right, one can see the same entrance today. The alcove with pillars remains but the entrance canopy is gone. The windows behind the pillars (a later addition?) seem out of place. It is said the politicians made speeches from the alcove but the entrance canopy would have been a hinderance to that.

Above left is a Donaldson logo from 1927 hotel letterhead.

Mr. & Mrs. Carroll Ligon bought the 60-room hotel from Lydia Wendt in 1943. The Ligon's sold the hotel to physics teacher and bandman Sidney M. Melby and his wife Deborah in 1950 and ran it until 1974. The Melby's modernized the marquee and updated the lobby. At first, the Melby's catered to a transient (one-night) client-base but as the interstate began siphoning off downtown business, the hotel began accepting permanent residents. At one time, the Melby's had ten Donaldson employees

The hotel was sold to Tom Bell who installed new carpeting, paint, plumbing, cable televsion, and fixed up a small room as a lounge. He also removed the phones from the rooms and did away with the lobby. By 1984, the hotel was primarily an apartment operation although it did offer a few rooms for rent by the night. Prices at that time were $12 per night, $45 per week, and $135 per month.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) constructed a building in 1894 at 521 First Avenue North (the northeast corner of Broadway and First Avenue) to serve as a meeting hall.

A third floor was added in 1915-1916 and the upper floors became the Donaldson Hotel; named after it's first owner Horace Donaldson. Even though Mr. Donaldson died in May of 1917, his name has remained a part of the business. When Lydia Wendt took it over, she made it into a workingman's hotel. The illustration above is taken from Donaldson Hotel letterhead in 1920. It shows the third floor and the entrance on First Avenue.