Rietmann Hotel

Ulrich Rietmann, a native of Switzerland, arrived in Latah County in 1890, and built the Rietmann Hotel - the first brick building in Troy - at the end of that decade.  Ulrich C. Rietmann was described in the History of North Idaho as: "energetic, capable, and progressive businessman and manages a first-class butcher shop in Troy, owns and leases the large brick hotel known as the Rietmann House, buys and sells stock of all kinds, has a fine farm near town, and also handles fruit, and operates a fruit dryer and cold storage plant, besides a number of large warehouses, being one of the leading men of the county and recognized by all as a power in the business world."  Ulrich Rietmann was born on the 4th of July, 1853 in Switzerland.  Mr. Rietmann was educated in Brazil where he also worked with his uncle who was a surveyor.  Mr. Rietmann moved to San Francisco in 1881 where he took up the butcher business.  In 1890 he sold all of his holdings in San Francisco and moved to Latah County where he became one of the leading businessmen of the county.

The Hotel Rietmann, 1908, Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society 15-03-05.

The second floor of the Rietman Hotel provided lodging for workers and railway passengers, while on the hotel's ground level, various shops and offices offered an array of goods and services to locals and travelers through the years.  The Hotel also served as a community gathering spot, serving hot meals in the dining room and spirits in the Hotel tavern.

The Hotel Rietmann, no date, Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society 15-03-06.

In 1911 Rietmann sold the hotel to Charles and Clara Tomson, who renamed it the Inland Hotel; it was also known as the Tomson Hotel.  In 1932, Clara Tomson sold the hotel to Pearl M. Field, who sold it to Joseph J. Berg in 1934.  Probably prompted by the end of the prohibition of alcohol, Berg and his wife Juanits opened a state liquor store in the rear of the building and reopened the Hotel tavern.  The hotel also operated the Inland Cafe.  The Inland Cafe had a kitchen that had one large wood stove for cooking and some smaller wood stoves for heating the hotel.  The Bergs were so reliant on wood heat that they purchased some timber land so that they would have a steady supply of firewood.  The Bergs would typically go out on Sundays to cut firewood and stock the supply at the hotel.  In the mid-1940s, the Bergs converted the hotel space to apartments, but retained the liquor store.

The Inland Hotel in Troy, ID, photo taken between 1920 and 1930, Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-03-43.

In 1958, the Bergs transferred the ownership of the building to their son and daughter-in-law, Norman and Hazel Berg, who owned the building until the early 1990s.  During that time, the cafe was affectionately known as "Norm's."

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.  The nomination for the register reads in part: "Troy (Vollmer) Sanborn maps reveal that the end section was added to the building sometime between 1901 and 1905.  This is also evident becase of the detail differences between this portion of the building and the original portion; the newer portion lacks the continuous belt courses, has no decorative cornice, and the parapet wall is lower.  The building retains good integrity."

References:

History of North Idaho: An Illustrated History Embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai, and Shoshone Counties State of Idaho (Western Historical Publication Company, 1903) 661.


Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992), p. 147-149.

Krahe, Diane and Suzanne Julin, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Hotel Rietmann, May 22, 2001.