10-15-2025 8:56am

DAYTRIPS: 100 YEARS

A “One Night Only Speakeasy & Jazz Club” will be held at the Yorktowne Hotel. ILLUSTRATION/PROVIDED BY THE YCEA

Yorktowne Hotel to host anniversary speakeasy, jazz club celebration

A “One Night Only Speakeasy & Jazz Club” will be held at the Yorktowne Hotel.

The York County Industrial Development Authority (YCIDA), staffed by the York County Economic Alliance (YCEA), announced a community celebration in honor of 100 years of the Yorktowne Hotel.

The event is planned for Friday, Oct. 17.

Opened on Oct. 17, 1925, the grand opening of the Yorktowne Hotel was a major event in York, according to a release. A special edition of The Gazette and Daily newspaper was dedicated to the occasion, which marked the hotel as a new “crown jewel of downtown York.”

Becoming in time a social hub for the region, the hotel hosted events and attracted famous guests like Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, and Eleanor Roosevelt over the decades. The Yorktowne reopened in 2023 as part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton, after an extensive redevelopment led by the York County Industrial Development Authority and widespread community support.

To celebrate its 100 years, the hotel will host an evening of celebration at no cost due to sponsors The Powder Mill Foundation and WellSpan Health.

The schedule for Friday, Oct. 17, from 5-9pm features a one-night-only speakeasy complete with 1925 priced cocktails and full bar availability with light fare provided. In addition, the WellSpan Ballroom will host an authentic jazz club.

To celebrate 100 years of this community institution, all are invited to a special evening of celebration:One-Night-Only Speakeasy: Nestled in privacy in the former restaurant space on Market Street, wear your finest 1925-attire and step back into a vintage speakeasy, complete with 1925 priced cocktail, and full bar availability with light fare provided. Leave with your own little piece of history.Jazz Club: With an ode to the last century, and a look head to the next 100 years, pop upstairs to the WellSpan Ballroom for an authentic jazz club bringing together big band hits and moodier romantic tunes.@HometownHistory with Jamie Noerpel & Jim McClure @ 6:00pm: Step into the past and experience the stories that shaped the Yorktowne Hotel — bringing the hotel’s rich history to life through interactive storytelling.Come for the stories. Stay for the sound. Leave with a memory.There is no cost to attend thanks to support by The Powder Mill Foundation and WellSpan Health.Light fare will be provided while available. Full bar available in the Davidson Lobby.