Claussen’s Corner
Built in the early 1850’s, year not documented, by Frank Egan, as the Central Park Hotel. Then, it included a brothel upstairs. The hotel was sold to Mrs. Mitrovich and renamed The Waverly Hotel. Blagoje “Billy” Ratkovich bought the hotel in 1922 and died in 1940. Dorothy Ratkovich Soracco, Billy’s daughter, inherited the property. Her husband, Mel Soracco, who had worked in the hotel since 1932, took over the property, closed the hotel and renamed it Mel’s Central Corner. Later, when renamed Mel’s Corner, it featured billiards and cards in the back room. Mel retired in 1974. Cecil Hale, owned Mel’s Corner from 1974 to 1982. Rand and Betty Claussen bought the bar and renamed it Claussen’s Corner in 2003. The current owners of the building are brother and sister, Michael Tarbat and Roberta Hoffman, who are directly related to Billy Ratkovich.
Marker is at the intersection of Hardscrabble Street and South Main Street (State Highway 49), on the right when traveling east on Hardscrabble Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
