09/04/2026
Did you know Seguin had a HOTEL WAR?
In 1916, Seguin was booming after a downtown fire had sparked a building boom. In fact, $200,000 worth of building permits were issued within 10 months. Local business men wanted a grand new hotel but couldn’t decide on just one.
The second photo shows the Aumont Hotel which was announced first but just three weeks later another group announced they were building a second hotel. Suddenly, Seguin had two competing luxury hotels.
The Aumont opened November of 1916 but the Park Hotel wasn’t far behind opening in in January of 1917 having 500 people reportedly showed up.
The two hotels competed over modern amenities, style, and prestige. In fact, 82 telephones were installed in the two hotels on the exact same day by the same company, just to make sure nobody could accuse either side of favoritism! Even funnier, Max Starke managed the Aumont, while the Starke Furniture Company furnished the competing Park Hotel!
More than 100 years later, the rivalry is park of Seguin’s history!
