The completed Russell-Lamson Hotel was somewhat different from the original design. For example, it had eight stories, rather than seven. It was, however, despite differences from the initial plan, a structure of which the city was extremely proud. Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Lamson were given credit for building what was thought to be the largest and best hotel in Iowa. It was one of Waterloo’s tallest buildings at the time, along with the Pioneer Bank Building and the Black Hawk Banking Building. The coat of arms on the linens and on the china was a combination of the Russell and the Lamson crests. Although the hotel was not completed on time, 3,000 invitations were sent out for the opening banquet on 1 September 1914. The hotel then had an open house held on 8 September 1914. Managers, administrators, and other employees from some of the finest hotels in the country came to Waterloo.

    Those who visited found well-designed accommodations and exceptional furnishings, some of which were imported from Europe before the Great War. It cost $100,000 to furnish the hotel, but it was said that no other hotel in the Midwest could compare with it. The Russell-Lamson Hotel provided transportation for its guests. Bradley Livery & Transfer Company took the patrons to and from the train station and to places they wished to visit in the city.

    The Russell-Lamson had its own ice making plant. The barbershop was listed as one of the finest of all the hotels in the United States. There were billiard parlors and pianos for patrons’ enjoyment. On top of the hotel, there were the largest electric signs in the entire state at the time. The hotel served the city of Waterloo for 50 years. It was then sold during the 1960s and converted into apartments. In 1995, the building was sold again to Bob Eaton and Jim Thomson. They updated the building and remodeled the lobby to make it resemble the original lobby built in 1914.