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apparent cause of the fire. Because of the "extreme cold weather over the last few days, a brisk fire had been kept burning, night and day, in the furnace. The chimney, which ran directly through the storeroom, had, no doubt, become overheated." The fire had started on the first floor in the storeroom." The flames apparently ran up alongside the chimney to the blind attic and then spread in all directions." A small fire was discovered about 5:00 p.m. the same day, the fire department called again, but it was put out with three pails of water.
Most of the damage was to the center and right side of the building, particularly on the third floor. The owners of the Russell House, Edward Brown and Son Harry, were uns their loss, a portion of which was covered by insurance. According to records kept by Chief Higham, $14,575.55 Worth of damage was done, $6,000 of which was not covered by insurance. The Browns were also unable to say at the time if they would rebuild or repair the hotel.
Insurance Company representatives visited the fire scene on February 28, and on March 8, the barber, August Heinemann, moved back into his shop at the Russell House. Two weeks later he moved out. By early April, insurance claims had been settled, and workers began clearing away the debris left by the fire. Brown was still considering his options. At the time, he was doubtful a new hotel would be built. Rather, he foresaw replacing part of the damaged structure with a new section in front. While all of this was going on, Mr. Brown's wife died in early May.
By the beginning of June, the Brown's had completed their plans and announced them to the public. The left wing of the Russell House, which suffered the least damage, would be moved to the rear of the lot and turned to face Henry Street. The remainder of the structure would be torn down as far back as the dining room. Most of the hotel, however, would be a new five-story brick building with a 66' frontage on James Street with a depth of 64'. The new section would contain 60 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms, and an elevator. The portion made up from parts of the old hotel would have 20 rooms, while the annex (the King-Horton house between the hotel and the Stratton Theatre) would have 36 rooms, for a total of 116 rooms. Ground for the new hotel was broken on the morning of June 3, 1907.
In November, 1907, the Browns announced the new hotel would be called "Hotel Brown" rather than Russell House. The hotel was essentially completed by the end of 1908. David H. Canfield was the architect of the building: D. D. Stever was the contractor. In 1914, the business was purchased by Peter H. Mitchell who changed the name to the Mitchell Inn. Over the years, the hotel became a Middletown landmark and institution. It became known nation-wide for the fine collection of clocks. Edward M. Mitchell became the Owner when his father (Peter) died February 14, 1950. From about 1959 until August, 1962, the hotel was owned by N. Benjamin Minsky