Want a safe? A night stand for the guest room, or a set of hand towels?
Then pop on over to the Hotel Morgan on High Street.
For the next three weeks, National Content Liquidators will sell off the contents of the Hotel Morgan, as the iconic downtown Morgantown hotel is now officially closed until late 2020 for renovations.
The sale of the 1,000 or so items in the hotel began Nov. 13. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. It could last as long as three weeks, said Donald Hayes, president of Springboro, Ohio-based NCL.
“We’ve been pretty busy,” said Hayes, who is in Morgantown to oversee the liquidation of the hotel.
“Everything is priced to sell.”
All of the 78-room hotel’s eight floors are open for browsing with shoppers being let in 25 at a time for safety reasons.
On the eighth floor two large urns, which probably sat on the building’s rooftop deck at one time, were available for $125. Next to the urns was a French vanity sink for $195.
Most of the hotel’s upper floors had mattresses and room furniture for sale.
Andrew Rhodes of Morgantown was waiting in line on the first floor to pay for two night stands he purchased for $35 each.
“I’m here looking for additions to make to the house,” said Rhodes, who was also purchasing some cloth napkins.
The first floor of the hotel by far was the busiest. Shoppers could purchase an iron for $10, a 32-inch flat screen TV for $59, and a room safe for $65.
Glassware could be bought for $1, fitted sheets for $2, and hand towels for $1. There were also mirrors, artwork, decorative wreaths and lobby furniture for sale. Used microwaves and wine refrigerators were in the kitchen and were available for purchase for anywhere from $85 to $125. A 10% buyer’s premium is being charged on all items.
Lawrence and Karen Ayersman of Morgantown, who were waiting outside, said the hotel holds special significance for them.
“We wanted to get a piece of history,” Karen said. “We’re also looking for a special item.” She declined to identify the thing she was looking for.
John and Karen Orendorf of Bittinger, Md., were looking for a convection oven, or something they could use for their business, Country Roads General Store in Accident, Md.
“I wanted to come and see what they had,” Karen said.
Deb Summers of Bruceton Mills said she was looking for a large ice machine.
“I always seem to run out of ice.”
The Dominion Post reported in July the historic downtown structure was in the process of being sold and a deal was expected to be finalized by fall.
Hotel Morgan — officially known as Clarion Hotel Morgan — opened for business in 1925. According to a hotel history on the Clarion website, the hotel was a popular site for weddings and banquets because of its two-story ballroom. It was last renovated the hotel in 1999 by the Brant family, which had owned it since 1997.
According to documents filed in the Monongalia County Courthouse, the Brants paid $1.35 million for the hotel in 1997.
The hotel, named after city founder Zackquill Morgan, has hosted Eleanor Roosevelt and President Harry Truman in 1954 and was a campaign stop for John F. Kennedy in 1960.
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