Henking Hotel and Cafe
Why it's listed
Located at 15-21 Lyman Street in downtown Springfield, directly opposite the entrance to Union Station, this four-story brick hotel with an attached two-story cafe served travelling businessmen. The hotel began with Gustave and Elizabeth Gruendler, early German immigrants who ran hotels downtown from 1857 to 1899. Employee Henry Henking acquired it in 1899, renamed it Hotel Henking and had local architect William Becker design a Georgian Revival facade. The five-bay front has brick piers, a projecting second-level window with spiral columnettes and a scrolled pediment, leaded transoms reading The Henking, and a modillioned wooden cornice above festoons. His son Gus added the cafe and banquet hall in 1909. Only the ground-floor storefronts have been altered. The building is considered an early and elaborate downtown example of Georgian Revival commercial design, and the only remaining small businessmen's hotel in a city whose later hotels were far larger. It remains in use as a hotel and restaurant.
Significance in brief: The building reflects Springfield's growth as a commercial center around the railroad station and was founded by a prominent German family. It is a very early and elaborate commercial example of Georgian Revival design downtown. It is also the only surviving small businessmen's hotel from that era.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83000752, listed February 24, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 15-21 Lyman St., Springfield |
|---|---|
| County | Hampden County |
| Listed | February 24, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000752 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William Becker |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Has remained in continuous use as a hotel and cafe; only the first-floor storefronts have been altered (Moderne storefronts 1946, Permastone storefront 1960s). |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.10850, -72.59368 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83000752.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5714518
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.