The Hotels Kept Their Names
Chapter 15 - The Hotels Kept Their Names
The board considered removing the Pierce name from every property.
Employees disagreed.
Some saw the name as family vanity. Others associated it with decades of work, local history and promises extending beyond one son’s crimes.
The decision was placed before each property community.
Several hotels changed names.
Others kept them under new ownership rules.
The Boston Harbor property became Harbor House, honoring the workers who rebuilt it with Evelyn and Robert. The Franklin retained Pierce because employees had organized under that name and wanted its meaning changed rather than erased.
Evelyn accepted different outcomes.
Repair did not require one symbolic answer.
The company’s central headquarters removed the family portrait wall. In its place appeared a timeline including growth, labor disputes, Samuel’s conspiracy, the reforms and employee-led safety changes.
Robert’s achievements remained.
So did his decision to excuse Samuel’s early misconduct.
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Evelyn added her own failures.
History became less flattering and more useful.
