From Primedia Publications

Hotel DuPont
Wilmington, Delaware

By Susan Bard Hall

In 1638 Swedish colonists put down roots in a spot in Delaware and named it Fort Christiana. The names of the land holders and the community varied over the next several decades, then Quaker newcomers laid out a town there in 1731 and called it Wilming-ton, after benefactor Spencer Compton, the Earl of Wilmington. That’s the exotic colonial history. The rest of the story is about pure home-grown capitalism and service.

In 1802 gunpowder manufacturer Eleuthère du Pont settled there and set up his business. From then on, as the enterprise expanded, diversified and became more powerful, the stamp of the du Pont family name made its way onto most of the tiny state’s memorable sites and today is affixed to one of its most distinguished and historic hotels.

By the turn of the century the du Pont concern had already grown large and begun branching out into chemical products, and Wilmington had grown into a city of 80,000 people. Existing hotels and rooming houses couldn’t meet the demands of commercial visitors, forcing many doing business with the du Ponts to stay in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 30 miles away. Hoping to keep the money close to home, company executives planned to attach a hotel to the main Du Pont Company building. Then, it seems, they got carried away.

The hotel history lovers enjoy today is still a prestigious stay. According to one source, during its original construction the floors in its “public spaces alone required the labors of 18 French and Italian craftsmen for almost two and one-half years.” The results were intricate mosaics and works in marble.

After its opening, statesmen of the Wilson era and captains of industry made the Hotel du Pont a regular stop when doing business in Wilmington or with the potent Du Pont concern as it prospered in the years around WWI. After a 1992 renovation that subtley incorporated the latest modern hotel innovations, visitors found they were still surrounded by decorative touches and designs that guests called “grand” in the days of the Model-T automobile.

Today, as when it opened, the hotel incorporates the du Pont family’s French heritage and the region’s history in everything from its cuisine to its decorative touches. Its “Green Room” restaurant serves critically praised traditional French cuisine. Its public areas are decorated with paintings strongly represented by artists from the nearby Brandywine region of Pennsylvania; most prominent among them are nationally recognized works by N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth.

Hotel DuPont
11th and Market Streets
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
(302) 594-3100 or (800) 441-9019