Ira C. Jordan, Hotel Proprieter

An article in the August 14, 1919 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that the Hotel Laural at Wayne and Water Streets was to open on Saturday, August 16, under the management of Ira C. Jordan. Formerly affiliated with the Employees' League of Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Jordan was one of the best known caterers in the state. The conclusion of the newspaper article stated: "For some time Afro-Americans of Sandusky have felt the need of a first class hotel and their need will be realized when Mr. Jordan opens the Hotel Laural to the public." The Sandusky Register featured an article about Mr. Jordan and the Hotel Laural in its March 28, 1920 issue. While every employee from the manager down to the clerk was a person of color, Mr. Jordan welcomed customers of any race.

In October 1921, Ira C. Jordan advertised a one-half fried chicken dinner at the Hotel Laural to be served every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Regular lunch every day cost thirty five cents.

Below is an advertisement from the Hotel Laurel which appeared in the December 9, 1921 issue of the Sandusky Register. Ormonde A. Forte, a Cleveland newspaper man was to be the speaker at a banquet at the Hotel Laurel.

Ira C. Jordan’s wife passed away in February of 1920. While Mr. Jordan is listed as the proprietor of the Hotel Laural in 1922 newspaper advertisements, it appears that he moved away from Sandusky in the mid 1920’s.

The Hotel Laural was known as the Steamboat Hotel in 1842, when Charles Dickens stopped to spend a night in Sandusky. Other names the hotel was known as include: Porter House, Verandah Hotel, Scott’s American Hotel, Hotel Crystal Dome and the Ideal Hotel. (The frequently-told story that the porterhouse steak had its origins in Sandusky is a myth. According to an article in the New York Times, the name of the porterhouse steak had its origins in an establishment located at 327 Pearl Street in New York City in about 1814.)