SeacoastNH.com Presents  
Historic Portsmouth #403

Last week we showed a fire on Congress Street that threatened the nearby Langdon Hotel, according to the caption on the photo. But what and where was the Langdon Hotel? This photo and a couple of early 20^th century postcards prove it existed on the corner of Congress and Vaughan streets. (Continued below)

None of the local experts I usually contact were familiar with the Langdon Hotel. They suggested it was located at what is currently 103 Congress Street, site of The District Restaurant (formerly Pesce Italian Restaurant, formerly the Little Professor Bookstore). Langdon Hotel is mentioned in various issues of The Cloud, a summer newspaper and hotel guide for seacoast tourists published in the 1890s. But a quick scan of my usual print sources didn’t turn up the dates the hotel was in operation or when the building disappeared. The Coca-Cola sign on the bottom floor advertises ice cream sodas and “college ices” at Coleman’s Pharmacy. The once-active Vaughan Street was closed and turned into a pedestrian walkway as part of the Vaughan Mall Project in 1973. Langdon was one of many forgotten downtown hotels. We’ll look at a few more in weeks to come. (Courtesy Portsmouth Athenaeum)

BONUS PHOTO 
A family waiting outside the Langdon Hotel intheir car (Courtesy of Allen Shouse)

BONUS PHOTO 
Postcard of the Langdon Hotel