American Hotel Site
289 Washington Street
Auburn
Built 1905

The American Hotel, “the best house in the mountains,” was on this site from 1855 until the fire of 1905. The ruins of that building still form some of the walls of the current building.

In 1925, the Yue family purchased the property and moved their Shanghai restaurant from an adjoining building. The Shanghai was an Auburn institution which drew an eclectic combination of local families, tourists and harddrinking bikers. The Shanghai closed its doors in 2005.

Source: A Walking Tour of Historic Old Town Auburn, published in 2013 by the City of Auburn.

When we photographed the building in 2016, it housed the Auburn Alehouse.