Evening Tribune Des Moines, Iowa
DEC 3 1943
W ACs Out. Coliseum to Open Jan. 1
fl Savery. JL
By Fred Lazell.
. Of the downtown properties that have been occupied by the women's army corps, the Des Moines Coliseum will be the first thrown open to the general public, a check of owners of the properties showed Friday.
Alex Fitzhugh, secretary-treasurer of the Des Moines Coliseum Co., said the building will be available for trade shows, conventions,
boxing and other exhibitions, beginning Jan. I.
Hotels.
Indications Friday were that 3 neither Hotel Savery, the Cham- 3 berlain hotel nor the Plaza hotel e will resume operations as hotels t for some months.
Just how soon these hotels are opened will depend in part on what kind of a financial settlement their owners are able to make with the government.
Also, it will depend on what, if any, priorities the_ owners and
hotel operating companies can obtain on materials and equipment needed to reopen the hotels.
Leases.
The government leases on all three hotels run until June 30, 1945, with a clause allowing the government to cancel the leases on any previous June 30, upon 60 days prior notice. j
Edward A. Boss, president of the Boss Hotels Co,, owner of the. Chamberlain hotel, said he
Savery.
Jay H3, Tone, president of the New Savery Hotel Co., owner of Hotel Savery, pointed out that the company's lease with the Tang-ney-McGinn Hotel Co., former operators of the hotel, was cancelled at the time the building was leased to the government.
"Thus, we now are in the position of first having to find a new lessee, which may be something of a problem because of priorities on food and various supplies and equipment," Tone said.
Tone said one problem in con-|[|nection with reopening Hotel Savery will be that of obtaining priorities on kitchen equipment, silverware and other items. This was owned by and taken by the Tangney - McGinn company when the WACs took over.
Tone said that although all dou-
en's gymnasium formerly occupied by WACs.
President Harmon said the government's lease on the build-hlgs was similar to the hotel leases, but he intimated some different arrangement may be made before next June 30. ,
Officials at Fort Des Moines
army post were mapping plans for evacuation of the various properties occupied by the WAC and released Thursday. Present plans are, officials said, to begin the actual moving out process Saturday.
did not expect to take over the hotel until June 30, 1944, "unless some special arrangements should be made."
Boss added that immediately upon regaining possession of the building his company plans an extensive remodeling program which would require about four months.
"It looks to me now as if the Chamberlain will not be operating again as a hotel until around Jan. 1, 1945," Boss said.
Boss said the equipment item at the Chamberlain "will be some' thing of a major problem." The beds and mattresses all were sold because the army wanted to put in its regulation cots," Boss said, adding that "new silverware and some kitchen equipment would have to be obtained and as I understand it such things are not now available."
ble beds and mattresses had been taken from the hotel, such equipment is the property of the New Savery Hctel Building Co., and is in storage and available. The single beds, dressers, chairs and other miscellaneous furniture still are in the hotel, Tone said.
Tone said some difficulty might also be experienced in obtaining new carpeting for some of the rooms off the mezzanine and for the lobby.
Most of the carpeting for the individual rooms and upper halls still is in the hotel, Tone said.
Plaza.
Emerett Hansen, president of the National Investment Co., owner of the Plaza hotel, said that when the Plaza finally is restored to the owners a new operating company will be formed and the hotel reopened.
"The National Investment Co. wir co-operate with the war department in getting the building back into operation as a hotel," Hansen said.
Hansen said he "rather believes" this may occur previous to the June CO expiration date of the lease.
Hansen said the equipment problem incident to reopening "would not be so serious at the Plaza."
Drake.
President Henry G. Harmon of Drake university said Friday that "the university has no immediate plans" for taking over Cole hall, the men's dormitory and the worn-
