Hotel DuPont- Wilmington, DE

Built to rival the grand hotels of Europe, Hotel DuPont was a business hotel that meant business. Constructed at the end of the Gilded Age, it was an opulent hotel, designed to impress. Considered the front porch of Wilmington for over a century, it has become a symbol of the city itself.

Commissioned by DuPont president Pierre S. du Pont, the hotel was to function as a first class hotel and event space for his growing chemical company. Construction of the stately Italian Renaissance building began in 1911, adjacent to the company’s corporate headquarters in downtown Wilmington. It took over two years for a team of French and Italian craftsman to complete the interior of the 150 room hotel, which included carved and gilded ceilings, mosaic and terrazzo floors, an intricate ballroom, a club room, rathskeller, and dining room.

The elegant dining room featured fumed oak paneling, six handcrafted chandeliers, and a musicians gallery above, for the entertainment of guests below. Upstairs, the large rooms featured fireplaces, polished brass beds, imported linen, and dressing tables with sterling silver comb and brush sets. Opening to great fanfare on January 15, 1913, an estimated 25,000 people visited the million dollar hotel during its first week in business.

Shortly after its opening, the hotel constructed its own professional theater, rivaling any found in New York City, with one of the largest stages in the country. The venture was wildly successful, and it 1918 an additional 118 guest rooms were added, as well as the Gold Ballroom. At this time, the Rose Room, which previously functioned as the women’s salon, became the new lobby. Imported travertine replaced the mirrored walls, and the ceiling was updated with carved rosettes and scrolls. The opulent hotel attracted several notable guests, including Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Prince Rainer, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Later, an unfortunate mid-century modernization project altered the hotel’s elegant appearance; original vintage light fixtures and handmade furniture were replaced with contemporary pieces. Outside, the substantial iron and opal glass marquee was removed, replaced with one made of aluminum and steel. For the record, today’s dated glass version is not an improvement.

By the 1980s, the hotel was again in dire need of an update; it was no longer considered a four star hotel, and occupancy rates had plummeted. In 1991, DuPont committed $40 million for hotel renovations, which included enlarging guests rooms, reducing the overall number from 295 to 217, and restoring the hotel’s fabled event spaces. A complete success, guests returned to the Hotel DuPont in droves. In 1994, Julia Child even taped a segment in the refreshed Green Room, with Tom Poston (George Utley) and Tim Conway making a surprise appearance. They were performing at the adjacent theater.

In 2017, after 104 years of ownership, DuPont sold the hotel to a Wilmingon based developer, who continues to operate the historic property under its original name. In 2018, the lobby and Green Room received a $400,000 renovation, part of a larger planned $130 million project, that includes updates to adjacent office space.

The spacious rooms have also been recently updated, with most featuring separate sitting areas and large bathrooms, complete with oversized jetted bathtubs. They don’t, however, retain any original details. Regardless, the public spaces have been nicely restored, and still retain the materials and craftsmanship that put the hotel on the map. It is, of course, the perfect place to stay when visiting Nemours or Winterthur, or exploring the Brandywine Valley.