Jackson Hotel
214 Jackson St., Anoka, MNThe Jackson Hotel is the only hotel and one of the very few commercial buildings in Anoka representing the period of reconstruction following the great fire of 1884 which has survived fires, floods, tornadoes, and urban renewal. It remains a distinctive landmark in the central business district of Anoka and symbolizes the once prominent role that this City played in Minnesota as an agricultural market and as a lumbering, milling, and commercial trade center. However, the building is in imminent danger of being lost to urban renewal if not recognized and renovated. If protected and renovated it could be more than symbolic, but return to an active commercial life in Anoka.
Constructed in 1884 and serving the Anoka area continuously for over 90 years until it ceased operation in 1975, the Jackson Hotel has played a central role in the commercial vitality of the Anoka region. Situated in the heart of Anoka at the hub of water, rail, and overland trade routes, the Jackson Hotel served a varied clientele and witnessed the passing of several commercial periods. In its early years, the hotel served farmers and loggers who brought their respective products to market and mill in Anoka. As commerce expanded, the hotel expanded to serve traveling businessmen, and campaigning politicians, it inerrant photographers, lecturers, entertainers, and tourists. The hotel was an essential part of the itinerant salesman's life with the hotel sample room serving as the only store and office the salesman ever knew. Both early teamsters and modern-day truckers made the Jackson Hotel one of their stops.
Under the management of Charles G. Jackson, the builder, and owner, the Jackson Hotel gained the reputation of being the leading hotel in Anoka and one of the best hotels in Minnesota, known particularly for its fine cuisine and exceptional hospitality toward its guests. The hotel attracted weekend tourists from the Twin Cities and served as a banquet and small convention center for many civic and business groups from both the Anoka and the Twin Cities areas. As a unique local landmark, the Jackson Hotel has been the gathering place for many special community events and served as the headquarters for reconstruction crews who poured into Anoka following the 1939 tornado.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.