According to current owner, Pat Reynolds, the American Hotel has been a landmark in the Lima, NY community for more than 160 years, and for over 100 years, the Reynolds family has been its guardian. The large yellow painted brick structure with columned portico on the corner of Routes 5 & 20 and 15A, lies at the heart of the community, at its crossroads “between Boston, Buffalo, and beyond” since the late 18th century, welcoming travelers of all walks of life.
Since 1920, the hotel has been owned and operated by the Reynolds family, who operates the restaurant and bar on the first floor, rents out rooms on the second floor, and lives on the third. In 1920, amidst Prohibition when the bar turned into a soda fountain, the hotel offered a full menu including breakfast, lunch, and dinner and catered to the travelers of Routes 5&20.
The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 changed the business into a successful licensed establishment, and it was the only licensee in Lima until the mid-1940s. During this period, owner John K. Reynolds hired bartender, Jimmy Hendrick, who remained with the American Hotel until his death 48 years later. The Reynolds say Hendrick “was as much a fixture at the hotel as the pillars supporting the front porch.”
John F. Reynolds (“Junior”) married Aretha Costello of Livonia Center in 1940 and took over management of the business from his father in 1946. At this time, during World War II, the dinner business dwindled, and the owners shorted the menu to just lunches. This worked out well because between 1941 and 1953, Junior and Aretha were too busy parenting seven children (five boys and two girls) to run a full restaurant, bar, and hotel. In 1942, long term employee, Dorothy Magar, came to the hotel and has remained to this day.
In the 1950s, Junior and Aretha had a prosperous business despite the increase of licensees in town and the opening of the NYS Thruway in 1954, which turned Routes 5 & 20 into just another east-west thoroughfare. Many motels and restaurants on 5 & 20 went out of business in the ‘50s and never reopened.
In 1955, the American Hotel changed again – the sign over the bar that read “NO LADIES served at the bar” came down for good and bar stools were placed up against the men’s tall standing bar. Many people still remark how short they feel sitting at the bar.
In the ‘60s and ‘70s, business was steady, and Reynolds says many a Friday night was spent by Junior and the locals watching boxing matches on the black and white RCA television, and on Sundays they watched either the Browns or Giants
football games.
In July 1979, Junior died, and an era ended. In 1971, Terry Reynolds – the youngest of the seven children – came from Michigan State to help his ailing Dad run the hotel. Pat (fifth) returned from the Navy in 1974. And in 1983, Rose (sixth)
re-settled in Lima after various careers took her from San Francisco to New Hampshire. Thus, the third generation of Reynolds’ helped their mother in the hotel’s daily operation.
In 1992, Aretha Reynolds passed away, and Pat became owner with his sister Rose’s help. Rose’s delicious homemade soups have grown an impressive reputation in the Greater Rochester Area and beyond.
The Hotel today remains an institution in the region, providing quaint accommodations, delicious food, libations, and hearty soup, thriving on hospitality and goodwill.
Many employees have been with The American Hotel for at least a decade.
Sadly, age caught up with the portico and it is in serious need of repair. The historic structure demanded appropriate repair and restoration. Thankfully, they received a grant from the Landmark Society of Western New York, but due to inflation and complications beyond their control, the grant does not fully cover the cost to properly restore the portico.
As the portico is now deteriorated and actively collapsing, demolition began on May 6th, and with a sense of urgency, the Reynolds family seeks the community’s help to help bridge the gap between the grant funding and the actual cost to save this historic structure to allow future generations to experience the American Hotel, a longstanding tradition in Western New York.
