On the morning of Jan. 25, 1962, smoke billowed from the Westlake Hotel.
For three hours, the top of the seven-story building burned after a fire started in the penthouse apartment and spread to the roof. The hotel, which opened in 1925 and cost about $3.5 million to build, was considered one of the nation’s first luxury suburban hotels.
The building was fire-resistant and, as a result, the fire did not spread to the suites below the burning roof. The other good news was that none of the guests or first responders were injured. But the fire still caused about $500,000 worth of destruction. Pipes were incinerated, causing water damage throughout the hotel. The fire also displaced over 200 guests — 160 of whom were permanent residents — while the smoke caused by the fire could be seen throughout Northeast Ohio.
Several months after the fire, the hotel was sold to be converted into an apartment building. Two decades later, the complex was transformed again into luxury condominiums, with Browns players Tom Cousineau and Bernie Kosar among the residents. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and still stands in Rocky River in its original coral color.
