HOTEL DU PONT resides within the DuPont Building, which is a part of the famous Rodney Square in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. Named after Revolutionary War hero Caesar Rodney, Rodney Square is among the most famous landmarks in the entire city. Originally a reservoir established in the 1790s, its current appearance did not come about until the early 20th century. While Pierre S. du Pont and his colleague, John J. Raskob, oversaw the development of the DuPont Building, they also began drawing up plans to recreate the reservoir grounds into a prominent civic center. (By the time the du Pont’s acquired the site, only the New Castle County Courthouse occupied the location.) The two hoped that an open space with gorgeous landscaping would make the new DuPont Building appear more spectacular. Furthermore, they intended for the new plaza to render the heart of Wilmington more beautiful, channeling the then-popular “City Beautiful” movement. Du Pont charged Raskob personally with developing the destination, who subsequently organized a competition to find the appropriate design.

Raskob ultimately selected a plan that made brilliant use of a variety of revivalist architectural forms that included examples from Roman antiquity, the Italian Renaissance, and the Beaux-Arts. Construction began in 1917 and lasted for the next several decades in cooperation with the local Park Commission. Warren P. Laird specifically leant his expertise to the project as chairman of the Park Commission, having built a reputation for serving as the first dean for the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Fine Arts. When the work finally concluded in 1937, it stood as an architectural masterpiece. It featured beautiful landscaped borders, ornate stone walls, and marvelous balustrades. Twelve bronze lanterns also resided within the park, as did two fountains that acted as a memorial to William Poole, the former head of the Wilmington Fountain Society. Yet, the most iconic aspect of the park was its brilliant equestrian statue of Caesar Rodney that New York-based sculptor James Edward Kelley made in 1923. Today, Rodney Square—and its surrounding environs—are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Wilmington itself is an incredibly historical community. Its origins trace back to the largely forgotten Swedish colonists that originally settled the Delaware River Valley in the early 17th century. Founding a rustic settlement known as “Fort Christiana,” it marked the attempt by Sweden to establish an overseas colony in the “New World.” Unfortunately for the Swedes, Dutch military forces under the command of Peter Stuyvesant captured the area in 1655 and renamed the community as “Altena.” But the Dutch lost control over the region a decade later when the English seized the territory following their victory in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The settlement remained under English—and then British—supervision until the end of the 18th century, with King George III granting it the status of a borough in 1739. The petition for a charter had been organized by Thomas Penn, the proprietor of Pennsylvania Colony, on behalf of the area’s large Quaker population. Its residents called the town “Willington” in honor of Thomas Willing—a local land developer—before settling on the name of “Wilmington.” (“Wilmington” was inspired by Spencer Crompton, who was the Earl of Wilmington.)

Wilmington had finally started to grow at the beginning of the 19th century, as its shoreline had evolved into a prosperous series of wharves and warehouses. As such, the city soon became one of America’s most active seaports in the years following the American Revolutionary War. Many local industries quickly appeared next to Wilmington as well, fueled by the city’s rich maritime commerce. The most prevalent type of business to open in the surrounding countryside were gristmills, sawmills, and paper mills. The most famous mill to open at the time was the one created by French émigré Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. Du Pont’s factory would make a fortune producing gunpowder, giving rise to the prominent E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. It also gave du Pont’s descendants a massive amount of wealth and influence, making them one of the most powerful families in the United States. Wilmington has since become one of the nation’s major manufacturing centers, becoming a bastion for the production of chemicals, automobiles, textiles, and many other goods. It is also home to many outstanding cultural attractions, too, including the like of the Delaware Art Museum, the Hagley Museum, and the Delaware History Museum.

Construction on HOTEL DU PONT began in 1911, with architects renovating some the DuPont Building’s original compartments. Yet, the work also added some 133,400 sq. ft. of new space directly onto the structure. It took a massive team of French and Italian craftsmen nearly two years to raise the DuPont Building, creating a beautiful, European-themed hotel within its interior. At an estimated cost of $1 million, the HOTEL DU PONT originally offered 150 guestrooms, as well as several fabulous meeting rooms, a rathskeller, a ballroom (called the “Gold Ballroom”), and a club room. All the accommodations offered extraordinary décor and some were even large enough to feature sitting rooms with grand fireplaces. They also had their own polished brass beds, imported linens, and extravagant dressing tables. Inside the main dining room, beautiful oak paneling contrasted wonderfully with mosaic and terrazzo floor tiles. It featured rich hues of jade and ivory as well, giving rise to its nickname as the “Green Room.” But the hotel’s popularity became so great that it quickly outgrew its initial facilities. As such, the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company felt compelled to add another 118 guestrooms—as well as the new Ballroom Suite—in 1918. Additional renovations occurred throughout the remainder of the 20th century, with the largest one commencing in 1991. Investing some $40 million into the project, the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company partnered with the architectural firm “Burt, Hill, Kosan & Rittleman” to successfully revitalize every aspect of the building.

HOTEL DU PONT itself displays a brilliant blend of Renaissance Revival-style architecture. Renaissance Revival architecture is a group of architecture revival styles that date back to the 19th century. Neither Grecian nor Gothic in their appearance, Renaissance Revival-style architecture drew inspiration from a wide range of structural motifs found throughout Early Modern Western Europe. Architects in France and Italy were the first to embrace the artistic movement, who saw the architectural forms of the European Renaissance as an opportunity to reinvigorate a sense of civic pride throughout their communities. those intellectuals incorporated the colonnades and low-pitched roofs of Renaissance-era buildings, with the characteristics of Mannerist and Baroque-themed architecture. Perhaps the greatest structural component to a Renaissance Revival-style building involved the installation of a grand staircase in a vein similar to those located at the Château de Blois and the Château de Chambord. This particular feature served as a central focal point for the design, often directing guests to a magnificent lobby or exterior courtyard. Nevertheless, the nebulous nature of Renaissance Revival architecture meant that its appearance varied widely across Europe. As such, historians today often find it difficult to provide a specific definition for the architectural movement.

Katherine Hepburn, actress known for her roles in The African Queen and Woman of the Year.

Ingrid Bergman, actress known for her roles in such films like Gaslight, Notorious, and Casablanca.

Elizabeth Taylor, celebrated actress known for her roles in Cleopatra and The Taming of the Shrew.  

Bob Hope, comedian and patron of the United Service Organization (USO). 

Lucille Ball, actress best known for her role as Lucie Ricardo in the hit television show, I Love Lucy.

Christopher Reeve, actor best known for his role as Superman in the Superman film franchise.

Joe DiMaggio, outfielder for the New York Yankees best remembered as the “Yankee Clipper.”

Connie Mack, Hall of Fame manager of the Philadelphia Athletics (today the Oakland Athletics).

Duke Ellington, legendary Jazz musician whose orchestra famously played at the Cotton Club.

Norman Rockwell, artist most remembered for his paintings, Rosie the Riveter, The Problem We All Live With, and Four Freedoms.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize-winning author known for such works like One Hundred Years of Solitude, Chronicle of Death Foretold, and Love in the Time of Cholera.

Toni Morrison, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author known for her books, Song of Solomon and Beloved.

Charles Lindbergh, historic aviator and military officer.

Amelia Earhart, pioneering aviator who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Julia Child, celebrity chef best remembered for her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, as well as her television show, The French Chef.

Jonas Salk, virologist best remembered for making the first successful polio vaccination.

Jacques Cousteau, famous French naval officer and explorer known for his research of the deep sea.

Buzz Aldrin, astronaut part of the Apollo 11 mission who was one of the first two people to land on the Moon.

John Glenn, U.S. Senator from Ohio (1974 – 1999) who was also the first American astronaut to orbit the moon

Desmond Tutu, South African theologian and renowned anti-apartheid activist.

Henry Kissinger, 56th U.S. Secretary of State (1973 – 1977)  

Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady to former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933 – 1945)

Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland

Prince Rainier III of Monaco (1949 – 2005)

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (1973 – present)

Queen Silvia of Sweden (1976 – present)

John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (1961 – 1963)

Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States (1993 – 2001)

Eleanor Roosevelt: The HOTEL DU PONT has hosted numerous celebrities over the years, ranging from prominent politicians to great movie stars. Among those illustrious individuals who stayed at the hotel was former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Born as Anna Eleanor Roosevelt in 1884, she was the daughter of Elliott and Anna Hall Roosevelt. A member of the “Oyster Bay” branch of the Roosevelt dynasty, Elliott himself was the brother of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s immediate family cherished community service, although she received reinforcement from other people in her life. For instance, her intellectually progressive outlook on life was further solidified by Marie Souvestre, who was Roosevelt’s principal during her time at London’s prestigious Allenswood Boarding Academy. She kept al those personal influences close to her heart and used them as the foundation for her future work as a social activist. Indeed, some of her earliest work involved tending to the overcrowded tenement houses in New York City’s Lower East Side.

Around the same time, she began courting her distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They eventually married in 1905 and had six children together. Yet, the marriage was strained by their two dueling personalities, as well as the demands of her husband’s early political career. Roosevelt often felt her responsibilities as a “political wife” were tedious, especially after Franklin’s appointment as the Assistant Secretary of War shortly before the outbreak of World War I. Their marriage further deteriorated in 1918, when Eleanor discovered that Franklin had an affair with their mutual friend, Lucy Mercer. Roosevelt, thus, vowed to throw herself fully back into her political activism. But the two had a strong understanding that their fates remained intertwined and aspired to support one another going forward. It was Eleanor who encouraged Franklin to remain in politics when he was beset with polio in 1921. As such, Eleanor Roosevelt was incredibly instrumental in aiding her husband’s election as the Governor of New York in 1928, as well as his subsequent rise to the Presidency four years later. She often gave numerous speeches in public on his behalf that galvanized thousands of people. Roosevelt also became a central figure at his campaign events, serving as her husband’s voice whenever he could not attend.

But Eleanor Roosevelt still established her own vibrant political career as the First Lady of the United States. Historians today consider her actions to have fundamentally transformed the role that the First Lady traditionally held within the national government. Roosevelt used her position to advance a number of causes close to her heart, including gender equality, civil rights, and housing reform. She specifically arranged a massive celebration at the nearby Lincoln Memorial to protest the racist decision of the Daughters of the American Revolution to not let Marian Anderson—an African American opera singer—perform at Constitution Hall. On another occasion, she privately lobbied for the passage of the Costigan-Wagner Bill, which would have made lynching a federal crime. Roosevelt also held exclusive press conferences at the White House for female journalists to help enable women to break into the field. She even attempted to create an experimental community in West Virginia called “Arthurdale,” where homeless miners would have a chance at achieving a new, independent life. Although considered a failure, it was testimony to her commitment to enhance the lives of countless others.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s historic career continued well after her time at the White House ended in 1945. She played a significant role in turning Hyde Park into a museum dedicated to her late husband’s legacy, which set a precedent for future presidential libraries to follow. She also served as a delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, becoming its chairperson in 1947. Roosevelt remained with the organization until 1953, and her political insight proved integral toward drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After working to reform New York politics throughout the remainder of the decade, Roosevelt eventually worked to support the campaign of John F. Kennedy. While she initially rebuffed Kennedy for his refusal to denounce McCarthyism, Roosevelt relented on the grounds that she believed he had the best chance of leading the nation into the future at the time. When Kennedy won in 1960, she became his representative to such organizations like the National Advisory Committee to the Peace Corps. Then, in 1961, Kennedy appointed her as the First Chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. But Roosevelt would not see the commission come to fruition, as she died mere months after it was organized. Eleanor Roosevelt has since been revered as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century American history and is esteemed across the world today for her years of advocacy.