CHATTING — Jefferson County Commissioner Dave Maple chatted Wednesday night with Historic Fort Steuben Executive Director Judy Bratten, center, and Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce President Tricia Maple-Damewood at the What’s Up Downtown event in the Fort Steuben Hotel ballroom. -- Dave Gossett

STEUBENVILLE — Visitors to the latest What’s Up Downtown event Wednesday evening shared stories and relived memories as they walked up the marble steps to the ballroom at the Fort Steuben Hotel.

“I was 16 years old when I was offered a job by Mrs. Henderson, the hotel manager, to run the elevator. In those days it was operated by someone manually running the elevator. It took some skill because you had to line up the elevator door with the floor. I met a lot of people doing that job, including Dean Martin and his mother,” recalled retired Steubenville educator Patricia Fletcher.

“This was a great place in those days, and it is still a beautiful place. I am so happy they had the What’s Up Downtown here because it brings back some great memories and shows off the hotel. There are a lot of young people in Steubenville who have no idea what this place once was,” Fletcher said.

John Luscher’s claim to fame Wednesday evening came from people who remembered his father, Barney.

“Best darn bartender in town,” pronounced Steubenville Councilman Gerald DiLoreto, who recalled when Louis Armstrong and Bobby Vinton performed in the ballroom.

“My father was a bartender and manager of the Grill Room in the basement of the hotel. He had several bartenders and waitresses working for him,” laughed Luscher.

“This was a very professional place. This was a class place, it was all class. Every man wore at least a sports jacket and a tie when they came to the Grill Room,” he said.

“I worked as a bus boy here in 1964 and 1965. In those days there were a lot of Italian, Greek and Jewish wedding receptions in the ballroom. This was a very busy place in those days,” noted Luscher.

Area resident Stan Gaston recalled visiting the hotel’s Grill Room for lunch or dinner.

“This was the place to come to in the 1950s and 1960s. I would also come to dances held in the ballroom. This place is still beautiful,” Gaston said.

The What’s Up Downtown event, coordinated by the Steubenville Revitalization Group, featured food catered by Froehlich’s Classic Corner Restaurant and entertainment provided by the Ohio Valley Youth Network under the direction of Bobbyjon Bauman, southern gospel music by the Splendid Sound Quartet and special music by the Nelson Sisters.

“It has been refreshing to see so many people come here and see the history of downtown Steubenville,” remarked Greg Froehlich.

“This 97-year-old hotel building is symbolic of the history of downtown Steubenville. It is great to see people still enjoying themselves in the ballroom after so many years,” added SRG President Mark Nelson.

“I grew up in Steubenville and was then gone for 30 years, but I have never been in here before. This is still a very beautiful building and I am glad they decided to do the event here,” said Jefferson County Historical Association President Judy Brancazio.

Patricia Marx, co-owner of BookMarx across the street from the hotel, agreed.

“There is a lot of potential here. It is a wonderful place. A real jewel in Steubenville,” she said.

The memories of the hotel ballroom for Harry Thomas included, “lugging boxes over here for weddings and events for my dad when he owned McCauslen’s Florist. My job was to bring everything and to do the decorations. I haven’t been here for about eight years but it is still a beautiful place. I love it,” said Thomas who now owns McCauslen’s Florist with his wife Pam.

“I came to Steubenville in 1971 and stayed here at the hotel for three weeks while I looked for a place to live. They put me in the honeymoon suite, which was very nice. And of course the bar and restaurant were downstairs, which made everything very convenient. It is still an awesome building,” noted Ron Stillwagon.

“This hotel was the jewel of the Tri-State Area. It still has the elegance of past years. And the ballroom brings back so many memories for a lot of people. From Pittsburgh to Wheeling, the Fort Steuben Hotel was the place to stay. I am glad the hotel management agreed to host the event here because this is a true piece of Steubenville history,” commented Jerry Barilla, local businessman.

(Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com.)