The 3 1/2-story north section was the original construction with the 2-story south wing added after 1890. The hotel was located at an important juncture of Main and Central Avenue. When the wharf at the foot of Central Avenue was completed in 1838, the hotel was in an excellent location to receive guests from the boats that docked at the wharf. It was also two blocks from Stirling Hall (located at the southeast corner of Main and Bay) that provided entertainment to guests and Greenporters until it burned in 1899.