the hotel was built on the northwest section of the island. it opened on june 15, 1852 and "contain[ed] a number of public and private parlors, one hundred sleeping rooms, and a dining hall which will seat two hundred and fifty persons. it is well ventilated and will be neatly furnished. bowling alleys, conveniences for sea bathing, fishing apparatus and bait, and boats for sailing and fishing have been or will be provided ... no intoxicating liquor will be sold in the boat or at the hotel." "it possessed a t-shaped floor plan and was 2 ½ stories high under pitched, dormered, intersecting roofs with a central cupola."