By David Hutchinson
The Doherty Hotel held its Centennial Celebration on Sunday, December 1. It has been the Doherty family’s business since opening in 1924. Dean and Ann Doherty, the fourth generation of owners since Alfred James “A.J.” Doherty, hosted the party in the hotel ballroom.
It was estimated about 200 invited guests attended the event throughout the afternoon. Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails were served. Food included oysters, Swedish meatballs, deviled eggs, macaroni salads, cheeses, fruits, petits fours, and much more. A table displayed historical mementos of the hotel’s past.
The master of ceremonies was Jim Paetschow. He introduced speakers for the program starting about 3:15 p.m. Speakers addressed the crowd from the old “Doherty Hotel” podium on stage.
Shari Buccilli spoke first and represented the Clare Area Chamber of Commerce. She remarked on the hotel’s wide-reaching reputation for hospitality. When she tells people she is from Clare, the most common reply is “Oh, the Doherty Hotel!” The hotel and its success are a “reflection of hard work.” She presented a framed collage of historical images to the Doherty family.
Paetschow announced that over $400 had been raised for Big Brothers Big Sisters Mid Michigan so far that afternoon, and he thanked guests for their donations. Wendy Bicknell won the “50/50” drawing.
Mark Marshall of the Isabella Bank spoke next. He thanked everybody for their community support and remarked on the achievement of staying in business for 100 years.
John Bicknell of Fabiano Brothers Inc. congratulated the Doherty family. He wished them another hundred years of success.
A slideshow video was played which outlined the hotel’s hundred year history. Information included previous owners of the hotel, renovations, and additions over the years.
Pat Wehrly, great-granddaughter of A.J. Doherty, spoke after that. She recalled past layouts of the hotel, the old sewing room, family gatherings, and the Doherty lineage, including “Grandma D.” “Fun times.”
Wehrly read a note from A.J. Doherty III, her uncle, who was in Florida and unable to attend the event. The note recalled his grandfather’s friendship with Henry Ford, his own birth in the hotel, and Dr. Julian Gershon Sr., who is 100 years old and also in Florida.
A.J. Doherty III also recalled a humorous anecdote of hotel management. A large group of travelers arrived late for for their meal and were dissatisfied with it. He impulsively told the group they did not have to pay. They promptly left the hotel. “I didn’t do that again.”
Paetschow remarked that John Warren was present in the crowd. Warren had also attended the 50th and 75th anniversary celebrations.
Ken Hibl spoke next. He said it has been estimated that less than half a percent of businesses make it to 100 years. He listed historical downturns that the Doherty Hotel has survived, such as the Great Depression and the COVID-19 pandemic. And the hotel has hosted countless happy events—wedding receptions, parties, dances, Rotary meetings, Kiwanis meetings, and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Clare “would not be what it is today” without the hotel. Hibl lead the room in a toast to the Doherty family.
Paetschow remarked that over 400 people had Thanksgiving dinner at the Doherty Hotel last week.
Emma Coker spoke on behalf of Congressman John Moolenaar who was unable to attend. Reading a certificate, she praised the hotel’s history and congratulated the Doherty family for their achievement.
Joe Israel spoke after that. He praised Jim, Dean, and Ann Doherty for steering the business through rough economic times. Remarking on the hard work required for the “innkeeping” profession, he applauded the hotel staff, including Shirley Papp, and management. He described the dedication of the Doherty family to running the hotel. He said there is always a next generation to step up. “With no youth, there is no future.” Israel ended his speech by calling the extended Doherty family together for a group photo.
State Representative Tom Kunse was the penultimate speaker. He talked about the importance of hospitality. “When you’re here, you’re family.” After living a happy experience, the next best thing is the “memory of it.” He recalled telling Dean Doherty that the City of Clare was lucky to have the hotel. “We’re more lucky to have Clare,” replied Dean Doherty.
Kunse presented a “tribute” “signed by the senator and the governor” to the Doherty family. The framed document praised the people of the “exemplary establishment” for their work, and congratulations were given for the historic milestone.
Ann Doherty was the final speaker. She highlighted the importance of people—hotel staff, relationships, and treating guests like “extended family.” She expressed many thanks to the people who keep the hotel running day-to-day, those who made the celebration possible, and everyone involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She looks forward to continuing to improve the hotel in the future. The crowd gave Ann Doherty and her family a standing ovation.
Throughout the speeches there were many laughs, tears, and applause shared by the audience. Afterwards the crowd continued in sharing stories and enjoying refreshments. The Doherty Hotel and family has a long history of accomplishments and anecdotes.
A.J. Doherty came to Clare in 1878. He worked jobs “from sawdust shoveler to big politician,” according to the Clare Sentinel (August 27, 1909). Before the Roaring Twenties he established himself as a respected politician and prosperous businessman.
In January 1920 the Calkins House burned down. That hotel had been popular with travelers across the state, and it was sorely missed by Clare citizens. A.J. Doherty had been planning his retirement to Florida, but he saw the need for a new development in his longtime home city.
The Clare Chamber of Commerce gave A.J. Doherty the Calkins House site in 1921 which cost the community roughly $6,000. In return he built a “$150,000 Fireproof Hostelry,” according to the Clare Sentinel (April 11, 1924). The original structure has seen many renovations and additions, but it still stands today on the corner of McEwan Street and Fifth Street. The city library was housed in the hotel from 1924 to 1950.
The Doherty Hotel opened its doors to the public with 60 guest rooms in April 1924. A grand opening banquet was held the next month. The 168 attendees were welcomed into the dining room with live orchestra music. They occupied the room to capacity and part of the lobby, according to the Clare Sentinel (May 16, 1924). Decorations included “palms and ferns together with beautiful silk American flags,” “sprays of smilax and large bouquets of carnations.”
In 1928 Alfred James “Fred” Doherty Jr. took over the hotel business, according to the Downtown Clare Historic District Survey. He presided until 1956. He oversaw the addition of one-bedroom “cottages” next to the hotel in 1930.
In 1931 Fred Doherty married Helen Bicknell, an accomplished pianist, as reported in the Clare Sentinel (September 18, 1931). She was a fixture of the establishment from then on—later becoming a maternal figure for many guests and actively participating in Clare’s Irish festivals.
The famous murder in the hotel “took place in the grill room” at 10:15 p.m. on May 14, 1938, according to the Clare Sentinel (May 20, 1938). Carl “Jack” Livingston fired “three shots in succession” at Isaiah Leebove, his business associate. The two were known to have ties with the Purple Gang, a criminal enterprise that grew to prominence in Prohibition-era Detroit. Leebove “fell from his seat to the floor and died instantly.”
Byron Geller, Leebove’s attorney, was wounded at the scene. He “dropped to the floor and crawled on his hands and knees to the south side of the room and several minutes elapsed before it was discovered he had been injured.” He made his recovery at the Clare County General Hospital.
Livingston immediately and peacefully gave himself up to authorities. He apologized for hurting Geller. His motive was stated to be fear of the Purple Gang. Livingston was acquitted of first degree murder before the year was over. The jury “rendered a verdict of ‘Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity’ after nine hours deliberation,” according to the Clare County Cleaver (December 15, 1938).
The “Hotel Doherty” neon sign was installed on the roof in 1948. It was “patterned after” the Detroit Leland Hotel sign and powered by “four transformers and 900 watts of electricity,” according to the Clare Sentinel (April 2, 1948). “The skyline of Clare is assuming a metropolitan aspect.”
The Doherty Hotel celebrated its 25th anniversary in April 1949. The hotel was described as “the Mecca of travelers up and down US-27, the Main Street of Michigan,” in the Clare Sentinel (April 8, 1949). Over 400 people attended the event. Unusual for today’s cuisine, the food included a five-feet-tall cake and “roast silver pheasant.” Central Michigan College students performed “Early American Dances” which “thrilled their audience.” “Vauderville numbers and skits” from the 1920s were performed by the Three Aces. Guests then danced to live band music.
Willard Bicknell, grandson of A.J. Doherty, was in charge of the hotel from 1956 to 1969. He oversaw the replacement of the cottages with a motel wing (Doherty Motor Hotel) and a heated outdoor pool in 1960. The new rooms featured “ultra-modern room decor of luxury carpeting, gleaming chrome-glass-tile surroundings,” as reported in the Clare Sentinel (June 16, 1960). “Television is in each room and the telephone signal you if a message arrived while you were absent from the room.” “Have they thought of everything?”
A.J. Doherty III ran the business starting in 1969. He hosted the hotel’s 50th anniversary celebration in May 1974. Featured at the event were a scale model of the hotel (a “birthday cake” from Detroit) and a “personal letter from Vice President Gerald Ford,” according to the Clare Sentinel (May 1, 1974). Crowds danced for two nights.
The hotel expanded in 1990, and the outdoor pool was replaced with an indoor swimming pool and whirlpool. The new pool was lightheartedly christened “Lake Doherty” during the “Halfway to St. Pat’s Day” celebration in September, according to the Clare Sentinel (September 11, 1990).
A.J. Doherty III allowed his sons, Richard “Dean” Doherty and James “Jim” Doherty, to take over in the 1990s, according to the hotel’s website (https://dohertyhotel.net/hotel-history). The brothers oversaw multiple renovations and additions through the turn of the millennium. After 2001 there were 157 guest rooms in total.
The Doherty Hotel celebrated its 75th anniversary in June 1999. The event was a “dinner-dance” with food including “House Rabbit Pate with Mushrooms and Cognac,” according to the Clare Sentinel (June 8, 1999). “A long time friend, Dan Musser, owner of the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island, sent A.J. 75 long stemmed red roses.” A “Special Tribute” document was dedicated from the State of Michigan. “Congressman Dave Camp presented a resolution entered into the congressional record” to the Doherty family. The resolution, from U.S. Congress of May 27, stated that the hotel “retained the charm and class that has made it an institution in mid-Michigan.”
2012 saw extensive renovations and the addition of an “outside patio dining area,” according to the Morning Sun (December 30, 2012). That same year, Dean Doherty bought out Jim Doherty’s shares in the hotel, as reported in a later issue (December 31, 2014).
Now Dean and Ann Doherty run the family business. Their goal is “not to make the hotel bigger, but to make it better,” according to the hotel’s website. They managed to survive the economic crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are continually updating the building. The pool and jacuzzi are currently being renovated and are expected to reopen in January 2025.
Local history books that touch on the Doherty Hotel’s past and its surroundings include the following:
“Historical ‘Travels’ in Clare County: This & That” by Jon H. Ringelberg
“Clare County at 150: History & Stories” by Jon H. Ringelberg
“From Pine Forest to Market City: The History of Clare Michigan’s Downtown” by Kenneth Lingaur
“Gangsters Up North: Mobsters, Mafia, and Racketeers in Michigan’s Vacationlands” by Robert Knapp
“Small-Town Citizen, Minion of the Mob: Sam Garfield’s Two Lives” by Robert Knapp
“Mystery Man: Gangsters, Oil, and Murder in Michigan” by Robert Knapp
“Clare: 1865-1940” by Robert Knapp
More information is available on the hotel’s website (https://dohertyhotel.net/hotel-history/).
