UPDATE:
Our artist rendering of the Cranford Hotel is complete and the wood is being cut as we speak. History is on the back. We’re so excited to pick up where the Cranford Green Thumb Garden Club left off.
Exclusively at the Mr. Local History Etsy Store.
If you’ve ever been to Cranford, New Jersey, there are two places you have to go to: the Cranford Canoe Club, which epitomizes what is known as the “Venice of New Jersey,” close to the Cranford Hotel. Situated just south of the town trestle below the railroad tracks, the Cranford Hotel has been an institution in Cranford since 1893. Still, here today, let’s look at Cranford’s most historic family-run business.
The Cranford Hotel, as seen today, bears a strong resemblance to its earliest days. Built in 1893 by the Hess family, its convenience to the railroad tracks made it a popular stop for businessmen. Replacing an earlier version of the Cranford Hotel, which is said to have been built in 1882 and had burned down, John and Martin Hess chose the location nearly adjacent to the train tracks to ensure it became a popular stop for businessmen returning home from a long day of work.
The hotel fronted directly on the railroad tracks until the grade crossing was eliminated in 1930. In those days, the railroad tracks were just outside the front door, at grade level, before the entire line was elevated to eliminate conflicts with road traffic.
The Hess Hotel
Martin, John Hess, and John’s wife, Freda Rosendale, founded the Hess Hotel. In addition to sleeping rooms, the hotel included a bar and a produce store on the ground floor. Upstairs is a charming restaurant with a view of downtown Cranford. Downstairs is the speakeasy-looking pub area with a bar, table seating, and a working fireplace. The cozy fireplace dining area was originally a bowling alley, and the dartboard on the wall near the entrance was once the site of a grill that served quick meals.
Source: Cranford Historical Society
On April 6, 1946, the Hess Hotel was sold from the estate of Martin & John Hess (Executor Gertrude N. Volker) as Martin’s son Oscar has a successful plumbing business just next door to the hotel. The Hess family sold the hotel to Frank DiTullio Sr.. Frank Sr purchased the establishment with his brother Billy and a third partner for $2759.32 – paying $60/month until the balance was paid off. Frank DiTullio Sr, continued to run the hotel until he passed in 1963 when Frank Jr. took over the operations. The Cranford Hotel remained in use as a commuter bar and restaurant and yes a hotel until the early 70s.
Frank DiTullio Jr., who graduated from the US Coast Guard, worked at the hotel’s lower bar while teaching at Walnut Avenue School. After leaving his teaching position in 1969, he ran the hotel operation in Cranford until 1986, when Kim took over. Frank Jr. then continued the day-to-day operations at his Point Pleasant restaurant called the Off Shore until he passed away in 2018.
The “Hotel” Part
The Cranford Hotel was on the 2nd and 3rd floors until the 1970s. Many of the people staying there were long-term residents, some of whom had lived at the hotel for years. Hotel residents might have been working in the area and just needed a place to sleep before moving on to another job. They kept cards on each guest bundled with a rubber band, with a note saying they were in arrears. Somebody owes the Hotel $150 for ten weeks of boarding!
The second and third floors have about five rooms, plus a shared bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower stall. The building hasn’t taken in overnight guests since the early 1970s. When the pandemic hit in 2019, the hotel renovations began, and now the upper floors are fully transformed into functioning office space.
Keep Making History
The pandemic won’t stop Cranford, and it won’t stop the Hotel! While there have been challenges regarding capacity, the township moves into 2021, honoring Cranford’s 150th anniversary and local businesses that refuse to bow down to this pandemic. Everyone at the Cranford Hotel does everything possible to keep the bar and restaurant open. Count on the Hotel to be around, whether it’s curbside pickup, limited-capacity dining, or something else.
Thanks, Marianne Barton Jennings
The COVID Pandemic
The owners haven’t stopped improving the building since mandates shut down for customers. According to Frank DiTullio, they haven’t skipped a beat and have used the time to keep everyone working, both with takeout and building improvements.
We have spent the last year totally renovating the former hotel space that hadn’t been utilized since the 70s. Now we have two tenants on the upper floors with fully modernized office space. We also brought back a previously buried original staircase to the 2nd and third floors and also restored our 100 year old oak floors.
Frank DiTullio III, Cranford Hotel Partner
Dave Carracino, managing partner/chef, his wife, Cindy Carracino, and Frank DiTullio III, own and operate the Cranford Hotel. Many don’t know that Dave is a Culinary Institute of America (CIA) chef and has operated the hotel since 2011. Frank graduated from CHS in 1983 and returned in 1988 to jointly run the hotel with his sister Kim, who co-managed it until about 2010, when Frank struck a deal with Dave and Cindy Carracino. Cindy is Frank’s wife’s sister, and Dave is his brother-in-law. And Kim still operates the Off Shore down in Pt. Pleasant, New Jersey.
As we close, bet you didn’t know that the Cranford Hotel is the oldest family-operated business in Cranford.
Now, that’s a legacy everyone hopes to see continue.
Historic Eligibility
The Cranford Historic Preservation Commission realizes the historic value of the Cranford Hotel. The three-story Italianate-style commercial building constructed in 1893 is eligible under Criterion C as an intact and well-preserved 19th-century Italianate commercial building in downtown Cranford. The Cranford Hotel will also be further documented and evaluated as a surviving railroad hotel at Phase 2 as a part of a comprehensive inventory of the Central Railroad of New Jersey Historic District. All it will take is some endorsements and some personal effort.
England’s Sister ‘Cranford Hotel’
Did you know the Cranford Hotel had a sister hotel in England?
We introduce you to the OTHER Cranford Hotel.
Sadly, we think a local post office has replaced the hotel.
SURVEY: What are Cranford’s Most Historic Icons
Additional Cranford Stories from the Mr. Local History Project
Cranford Hotel Photo Slideshow – Click Any Image to Start
Special thanks to the Cranford Historical Society for some of the older photographs.
Additional Information
Cranford Hotel and the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection
The Cranford Hotel, as seen today, bears a strong resemblance to its earliest days. Built in 1893 by John and Martin Hess, the current building replaced an earlier 1882 structure on the South Avenue side of the block that burned down; chose the location adjacent to the train tracks to ensure it was a popular stop for businessmen returning home from a long day of work in New York City.
The hotel fronted directly on the railroad tracks until the level track crossing was eliminated in 1930. The railroad tracks were just outside the front door, at grade level in the days before the entire line was elevated to eliminate conflicts with road traffic.
In addition to sleeping rooms, the hotel included a bar and a produce store on the ground floor. On April 6, 1946, the Hess Hotel was sold from the Hess estate to Cranford’s DiTullio family, the first of three generations to steward the establishment. Frank Sr and his brother Billy purchased the establishment for just $2759. The Cranford Hotel remained used as a hotel, restaurant, and commuter bar until the early 70s. The upstairs area now showcases a charming restaurant and bar with a view of downtown Cranford. Downstairs is a cozy pub area with a beautiful, lovely fireplace. Many don’t know the fireplace area was formerly a bowling alley.
While no longer boarding guests, the 2nd and 3rd floors were fully renovated during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now private offices.
The Cranford Hotel is the oldest continuously operated family-run business in Cranford and remains a historical icon for all to enjoy.
What was the name of the corner bar on Centennial ave.? It is now the Cranford uniform shop.
Just downloaded the old pictures of the Cranford hotel.
My paternal grandfather,Fred Kantner, was the owner of the upholstery shop pictured. The one picture you can see my father and him standing in the doorway!!
What nice pictures to have as part of my family’s history.