Long history

The hotel began its existence as a two-story tavern in 1810. It was later expanded and renamed the Northampton Inn, housing a stagecoach line headquarters and the room where President Martin Van Buren once slept.

By World War I, it was known as “the American Hotel,” a five-story stopover where travelers and local salespeople could enjoy delicious cuisine.

The current building was completed in 1927 with architecture that evoked Old World Spain and it was given the Americus moniker which is derived from explorer Amerigo Vespucci. It was designed by Ritter and Shay, the same architecture firm that came up with the blueprints for the Hotel Bethlehem, which was built in 1922.

Featuring arched windows, colorful murals, stately ballrooms and French marble floors, the ornate venue welcomed famous guests such as Richard Nixon and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

As the city’s downtown began to suffer in the 1980s and ‘90s, the Americus also started to fall into disrepair. Conditions deteriorated so much that it was declared unfit for habitation in 2002, and scaffolding remained in place for years to come to protect pedestrians from falling pieces of the facade.

Abdouche eventually purchased the property in 2009 at a sheriff’s sale, and it was designated as part of the state-created Neighborhood Improvement Zone several years later, giving hope to those who wanted to see it restored.

But the revitalization was slowed by a lengthy battle between Abdouche and ANIZDA, which oversees the NIZ, over a realistic price tag for the renovations and then by the search for a bank to invest in the project.

In mid-2018, First Keystone Community Bank signed on to lend $9 million for the plan, and Abdouche was also awarded a $1.5 million grant through Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.