BUCYRUS—Former and current Crawford County residents are sharing their memories of the motel that was once stood at 1885 E. Mansfield St. in Bucyrus.
The motel was recently torn down to make way for an Aldi’s store and most recently had become known as a vacant eyesore but in its glory days, it was a beautiful place where people from all over the world stayed when visiting local events, such as the Crawford County Fair and the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival.
According to county property records, the motel was constructed in the early 1950s and bore the name the M and B Motel. It was a 20-unit motel at that time. Otto and Mildred Palenshus purchased the motel around 1959 and in 1964, added a strip of 10 more units in the back of the original U-shaped motel and it became a 30-unit motel. They had changed the name to the Bucyrus Motel. There was also a garage and laundry area in the back area of the property.
In 1965, the Palenshus’ opened Otto’s Dining Room and in 1967, the property received its certification to become a Best Western Motel.
“My parents, Marian and Michael Semon, bought the property around 1969. By that point, it had been a Best Western Motel for about a year or so and my parents kept it as part of the franchise,” said Stacey Semon.
She said the motel was a busy place and was often used by Olan Mills to take family photos for local residents.
“Olan Mills would rent rooms 39 and 40 several times throughout the year to set up to take photos, including many local family photos. Room 40 had two Murphy beds that could be folded up into the wall to allow space for the portrait studio,” said Stacey. “There used to be drum and bugle corps competitions in Marion and during that time, a few of the corps groups would stay at the motel because they could use the land in the back of the motel to practice their field routines.”
She was too young to work at the motel when her parents purchased it but her older brother, Michael, had several jobs around the property.
“My brother was older than me, so he was able to have more responsibilities at the motel. He would be the one that would fill the pop machines, clean tables, wash dishes, mow the yard, and take care of the pool. All with Dad’s oversite, of course,” said Stacey.
The Semon’s kept the name of the restaurant portion of the motel as Otto’s Dining Room during the decade they owned the property.
“My dad would purchase fresh vegetables and fruit for the restaurant from David Cooper, when Coopers Farm Market was at their farmhouse. Sometimes David would deliver the orders directly to the restaurant,” said Stacey.
She said other suppliers used were some of the local grocery stores, Superior Foods Company (still exists) and Chef Pantry (no longer in business). Cleaning supplies came from The Brown Company (still exists).
“The kitchen floor was swept and mopped with ammonia in the cleaner every night. The dining room was vacuumed every night as well. Dad would hire very experienced cooks so he knew that the food would be good, and people would come back. He always said that word of mouth that was good was the best advertisement,” said Stacey. “We had a lot of repeat customers in the restaurant, including groups that would come in for lunch, such as the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, and several of the management teams from local industry in the area.”
She said there were three apple trees and two Weeping Willow trees on the property.
“There was also a great apricot tree in the back. We also grew rhubarb, that when in season, our morning cook would make homemade pies from it as well as several other pies. The evening cooks were great as well,” said Stacey. The restaurant served home-style foods and along with the freshly baked pies, some of the foods offered included prime rib, Swiss steak, baked chicken, ham, and all you could eat Lake Erie perch on Friday nights.
It was a popular eatery in Bucyrus for several years and Ruth Ann Kanney worked there when she was around 18 years old.
“I will tell you we felt like a family back then. I worked there when I was 17 or 18 and worked there when the Semon’s owned it. The restaurant in its day was very classy but with a hometown feel,” said Kanney.
She said one of the memories that sticks out in her mind was looking out of the big windows in the front of the building to the swimming pool and watching all of the motel guests swimming.
“I remember the Semon’s being in and out of the restaurant and back in the kitchen overlooking everything that we did. They were amazing people and the quality of their devotion shown in that restaurant,” said Kanney.
Stacey said that support for the community was high on her parents’ list of priorities and her dad was a member of several business clubs back then.
“He also seemed to always purchase either the grand champion or reserve grand champion lamb at the Crawford County Fair each year. We did not serve lamb in the restaurant so every year he gave the lamb back to the young showman so they could keep their animal,” said Stacey.
Sylvia Cotsamire See began working at Otto’s Dining Room in 1978.
“I was 19 and started as a server. I always thought Otto’s was such a fun place to work. Breakfast was always busy and quick. Breakfast and lunch were casual, with paper napkins. Then, we closed after lunch to dress it up for dinner. We had cloth napkins and I’m pretty sure candles. I remember they had this huge steak that would come out on a sizzling plate. That steak was awesome,” said See. “Mike and Marian were the nicest people to work for. I was living in an apartment then and at that age where I didn’t have big talks with my parents, but Marian was like my cool aunt. I could talk to her about anything. And I do mean anything. She was a comfort a lot of times and just so sweet.”
See said that Mike would try to be the gruff boss sometimes but was really a softie when it came down to it.
“It really was like a family there. I also remember how pretty the pool area was. I never swam there, but liked to sit outside sometimes and just relax near the water,” said See.
Stacey said that several members of the Fullenkamp family also worked at the motel.
“Most of the Fullenkamp family children worked at motel and restaurant when they were in high school and beyond. Jamie Fullenkamp ended up moving to Alaska and worked her entire career in the hotel and restaurant business,” said Stacey. “Dad was so proud of her.”
Jamie Fullenkamp said she began working at the motel when she was fourteen and a half years old.
“I worked there seven years until I moved to Alaska. I loved that job to this day out of all the places I worked. Why? Because, number one was the customers from far and near. When I quit, I kept in contact with over 80 customers. I mailed more Christmas cards than most people ever would and I shared good times and bad times with them,” said Fullenkamp. “A waitress is great when you actually listen to the customer. What was sad was reading or listening to them as we aged. My last customer that I corresponded with died about four years ago. They all had a special place in my heart. I ended up with customers from 19 different states.”
Fullenkamp said the Semon’s were a beautiful family that she felt part of.
“They were very good to me, taught me everything about the restaurant and hotel business. That is why I went into the hotel business. I worked in a major hotel after moving to Alaska for 40 years. I wanted to be a boss like them, who treated me with respect, kindness, and showed me leadership can be a wonderful thing,” Fullenkamp said.
She said her third takeaway from her time being employed at the Best Western was the people she worked with back then.
“Frieda, the breakfast cook, taught me to bake pies from scratch (my favorite peanut butter pie) and Margaret, the night cook, taught me how to operate the kitchen and line cook. When I would come home for visits, the Semons would let me work on Saturday and Sunday. I loved seeing my favorite customers,” said Fullenkamp. “I started at 50 cents an hour plus tips but it wasn’t about money to me, it was about the people, and they were the best ever!”
Stacey said her parents sold the motel around 1979 to a couple from Michigan and they lost the Best Western franchise license about a year later. The motel was then called the Best Way Inn.
“We think it was because Best Western was moving into the hotel space and dropping the smaller motels overall. They also would have had to pass some strict franchise standards too,” said Stacey.
The motel changed ownership a few more times and by 1998, the motel and restaurant were renamed Al Smith’s Place.
Paul and Barbara McGlone purchased the property that year and when they divorced, Paul McGlone took sole ownership.
At one point, the late Pastors Bernie and Anita France operated a food kitchen for needy families in the kitchen and restaurant part of the property, renting the space from McGlone. Eventually, a foreclosure shut down the property and it remained vacant for several years. According to the property card, it was purchased by Steven and Melinda Fishpaw in 2014 and they sold it to Richard Gregory Garwood in 2017. It was Garwood’s widow who recently sold the property to Aldi, Inc.
According to information from the Crawford County Auditor’s Office, Aldi purchased the property for $199,000. Construction of the store is scheduled to be completed early this summer.
“The building was almost 70 years old, so it really was a historic building for Bucyrus. It is really too bad the businesses could not continue to make it and that if became so run down,” said Stacey. I am so glad of the opportunities that Aldi’s will bring to the Bucyrus area and I hope that it will be well supported.”
Fullenkamp said she loved the motel and is sad it is gone but the memories will last forever!