Remember when the Dartmoor Motor Inn dominated the frontage road in Fond du Lac? Here's its story.
FOND DU LAC — A stay at a hotel, a dip in the pool and a sandwich buffet used to be available to Fond du Lac residents and visitors, all in one place off the highway.
The Dartmoor Motor Inn, at Forest Avenue, was a popular location for meetings and other gatherings, especially because of its prime spot off Highway 41.
Kathryn Sturm managed the hotel in the 1960s, as well as the adjacent restaurant called The Gazebo, though ownership was held by a man in Milwaukee.
Madame Liane Kuony, who built herself as a Fond du Lac icon for her cooking prowess and her culinary school, was a consultant for the restaurant before she turned her attention back to her own restaurant, school and interior design business, according to The Reporter archives.
Restaurant dining was targeted "for busy people," with steak, spaghetti, roast beef, house-made desserts, a $1.65 soup and sandwich buffet, and more.
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Brian and Brent Heidel, of the Green Lake Heidel House family, took on management of both the Dartmoor and The Gazebo in 1967, and spent the next year remodeling the spaces, promising color television in each room by the time the process was finished.
By the summer of 1968, the Dartmoor also boasted the "Bell Captain," a private food and drink dispenser in each of the rooms, which eliminated the need for room service. The machine also offered a "wake-up" buzzer and a system for messaging the main desk.
The renovations also included the Bee Hive Bar and a new Tete a' Tete Lounge at The Gazebo.
Construction of the Highway 41 frontage roads prompted the Dartmoor to replace the outdoor pool it lost with an indoor pool and 12-room addition, starting in 1973.
When finished, the 9.5-foot-deep pool was accompanied by locker rooms and a sauna, plus games and vending machines on the upper deck. Management also took the opportunity to start a local swim club.
Dartmoor Motor Inn entered the 1980s under new ownership, after the businesses sold in 1978 in a sheriff's sale, subject to delinquent real estate taxes from the previous two years.
The new owners once again remodeled the properties at the turn of the decade and added the garden-like Aux Perroquet Room to The Gazebo for brunches, showers and other small receptions.
However, the Dartmoor name did not last to the end of the century.
In the 1990s, the hotel became an Economy Inn, and in 2006, the Dartmoor building came down entirely.
The demolition was meant to allow for new development, but despite its prime location off the highway, the lot remained vacant for several years, until Hampton Inn took up residence in 2014.
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More history: It happened this week
March 27, 1967: Tractor Supply Co. celebrated its grand opening, offering a drawing for prizes, including an electric drill and a hydraulic jack. The store also provided free yardsticks for the event.
March 25, 1970: The City of Fond du Lac paid the Fond du Lac Humane Society $9,100 for a new shelter, marking the discontinuation of the city's dog pound. The society ran a temporary shelter on Hickory Street to prepare for a permanent one in the next year or so.
March 26, 1989: Fond du Lac's first emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness, called Bethany House, opened on Second Street. Run by Jodi Krapfl with assistance from Mary Ellen Waldvogel, the house was funded by the Sisters of St. Agnes and area businesses, foundations, churches and individuals.
March 27, 1991: North Fond du Lac School District announced a plan for a $1.2 million building addition at Friendship Learning Center to combat the district's "space crunch." At the time, Bessie Allen Middle School was the most crowded of the schools, so the plan included moving fifth-grade classes into Friendship.
Remember when ..." is a bi-weekly column from Streetwise Reporter Daphne Lemke that looks back at businesses of Fond du Lac's storied past. Tell her what you'd like to see next by emailing [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Dartmoor Motor Inn and The Gazebo served Fond du Lac for decades
