Three hotels in downtown Atlanta. Clockwise from top: Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Ellis Hotel, Carnegie Building

Founded in the 1830s as a railroad terminus, Atlanta experienced rapid growth in its early years to become a major economic center of Georgia, with several hotels built to accommodate for this growth. Following its destruction during the Civil War, Atlanta experienced a resurgence and another hotel boom commenced in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. In the later half of the 20th century, hotel skyscrapers began to appear on the skyline, including what was at the time the tallest hotel in the United States. Later, a trend emerged of converting old office buildings into boutique hotels.

History

Early history through the early 20th century

Atlanta Constitution article from 1913 describing some of the hotels in the city

The White Hall Inn, located in present-day West End, Atlanta, is generally considered to be one of the first hotels in the area, predating the founding of the city by several years and laying outside the original city limits.[1] As the area's population began to grow following its establishment as a terminus for the Western and Atlantic Railroad in 1837, several hotels arose to service visitors to the city. The first hotel built within city limits came in 1846 with the construction of the Atlanta Hotel.[2] It was joined later that year by Washington Hall.[3] Several more hotels would follow, including the Trout House in 1849.[4] However, these buildings, as well as many other Antebellum era buildings in the city, were destroyed during the Burning of Atlanta, a significant event preceding Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War.[5]

Following the war, Atlanta rebounded and began to rebuild at a rapid pace. New hotels arose to replace those lost during the war, including the Kimball House (1870) and the Markham House (1875). While many of the hotels before and after the war were built around State Square in downtown Atlanta, by the 1890s many of the newer hotels were being built north of the area along "upper Peachtree". Some of these notable buildings included the Majestic Hotel (1898) and the Piedmont Hotel (1903).[6][7] Also starting around this time, several hotels opened on Hotel Row near the newly opened Terminal Station in South Downtown. Among these was the Terminal Hotel, built in 1906 by prominent Atlanta businessman Samuel M. Inman.[8] However, stiff competition from other hotels in downtown caused the area to experience a decline a few decades later.[9]

Mid-20th century

Atlanta was home to the deadliest hotel fire in United States when a fire broke out in the Winecoff Hotel on December 7, 1946. In the ensuing disaster, 119 people died.[10] This event contributed to massive changes in North American building codes. The Winecoff would remain abandoned for several years before reopening in the 1950s with a changed name.[11] In 1964, the Supreme Court case Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States pertained to a motel in Atlanta and was a landmark case in the Civil rights movement. The owner of the Heart of Atlanta Motel had refused to rent rooms to African American patrons and the case pertained to Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination in public accommodations. The Supreme Court against the motel owner and affirmed the constitutionality of the act.[12]

Later 20th century

Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel

The later half of the 20th century saw several skyscraper hotels take shape on the Atlanta skyline. John C. Portman Jr.'s Peachtree Center plan included the construction of multiple high-rise hotels in downtown during the 1970s and 1980s. Arguably the most notable of these was the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. Upon its completion in 1976, the building was the tallest hotel in the world, the tallest building in Atlanta, and the tallest building in the Southeastern United States.[13] Other Portman-designed hotels included the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in 1967 and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in 1985. The hotels in Peachtree Center, along with others in the surrounding downtown area, constitute the Hotel District neighborhood in downtown Atlanta, named in reference of the numerous hotels in the area.

Recent history

Since the late 1990s, a trend that has emerged in Atlanta has been the repurposing of old office buildings into boutique hotels. In 1996, the Rhodes-Haverty Building (1929) was converted from office space to a hotel, and it currently houses a Residence Inn by Marriott.[14] Similarly, in the 2010s, the Carnegie Building (1925) and the Candler Building (1906) in downtown Atlanta were converted to hotels.[15] Conversely, some historic hotel buildings have been repurposed for other uses, including office space. Examples of this include the Atlanta Biltmore Hotel (1924), which was repurposed for office use in the 1990s, and the Imperial Hotel (1910), which now serves as low-income housing.[16][17]

List of hotels

Name Image Built Architect Notes
Atlanta Hotel 1846 The first hotel to be built within Atlanta's city limits. Destroyed in 1864 during the Burning of Atlanta.[18]
Washington Hall 1846 Built shortly after the Atlanta Hotel. Destroyed in 1864 during the Burning of Atlanta.[19]
Trout House 1849 Confederate President Jefferson Davis gave a speech here in 1861.[20] Destroyed in 1864 during the Burning of Atlanta.[5]
Kimball House 1870 William Parkins Built on the site of the Atlanta Hotel. Destroyed by a fire in 1883 and rebuilt in 1885. Razed in 1959.[21]
Markham House 1875 Built by William Markham.[22] Destroyed by fire in 1896.[23]
Hotel Aragon 1892 Demolished in 1930.[24][25]
Majestic Hotel 1898 Demolished in 1927.[26]
Piedmont Hotel 1903 Willis F. Denny Underwent renovations in 1928–1929. Demolished in 1965.[27]
Candler Building 1906 George Stewart

George E. Murphy

 Tallest building in the city at the time of its completion.[28] Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. Repurposed in 2016 for use as a boutique hotel.[14]
Terminal Hotel 1906 Built by Samuel M. Inman across from Terminal Station. Part of the Hotel Row district in downtown.[9] Destroyed by fire in 1938.[29]
Imperial Hotel 1910 Edward E. Dougherty

R. M. Walker

 Abandoned in 1980.[30] Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Currently serves as low-income housing.[30]
Georgian Terrace Hotel 1911 William Lee Stoddart Declared a contributing property to the Fox Theatre Historic District in 1978. Underwent renovations in 1991.[31]
Ellis Hotel 1913 William Lee Stoddart Originally known as the Winecoff Hotel. Site of the 1946 Winecoff Hotel fire.[10] Reopened in 1951 as the Peachtree on Peachtree Hotel.[11] Later served as housing for the elderly. Reopened in 2007 with its current name.[32] Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Hotel Ansley 1913 Jerome B. Pound Renamed the Dinkler Plaza Hotel in 1953. Razed in 1973.[33]
Connally Building 1916 William Lee Stoddart Originally built as an office building. Converted to a hotel in 1990 following a renovation and the addition of eleven stories.[34] Currently houses a Fairfield by Marriott.[35]
Glenn Building 1923 Wadley B. Wood Originally built as an office building. Converted to a boutique hotel in 2006.[14] Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
Atlanta Biltmore Hotel and Biltmore Apartments 1924 Schultze & Weaver Operated by Sheraton Hotels and Resorts between 1967 and 1979. Added to National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Converted to an office building in 1999.[36]
Briarcliff Hotel 1924 G. Lloyd Preacher Built by Asa G. Candler Jr. as a luxury apartments and hotel. Originally known as The Seven-Fifty.[37] Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Clermont Motor Hotel 1924 Originally built as the Bonaventure Arms Apartments, converted into a hotel in 1939.[38][39] Famous for the Clermont Lounge, Atlanta's first and oldest strip club, which opened in the 1960s.[38] Renamed Hotel Clermont following renovations in 2018.[38]
Henry Grady Hotel 1924 G. Lloyd Preacher Named for Henry W. Grady. Demolished in 1972 to make way for the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel.[40]
Carnegie Building 1925 G. Lloyd Preacher Built as the Wynne-Claughton Building, originally served as an office building until its repurposing into a boutique hotel in 2010.[41] Currently houses a Courtyard by Marriott.[15] Added to National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown 1925 Francis Palmer Smith Built as the Carlton Bachelor Apartments and later known as the Cox-Carlton Hotel.[42] Reopened in 2004 as a Hotel Indigo. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
Rhodes–Haverty Building 1929 Francis Palmer Smith Originally built as an office building. Tallest building in Atlanta at the time of its construction. Added to National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Repurposed in the mid-1990s to become a hotel.[43]
Atlanta Cabana Motel 1958 Jay Sarno (developer) Demolished in 2002.[44]
Hyatt Regency Atlanta 1967 John C. Portman Jr. Originally known as the Regency Hyatt House. Part of Peachtree Center.[45]
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel 1976 John C. Portman Jr. Tallest hotel in the world and tallest building in Atlanta at the time of its completion. Part of Peachtree Center.[13]
Atlanta Marriott Marquis 1985 John C. Portman Jr. Largest hotel in Atlanta. Part of Peachtree Center.[46]
Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead 1990 25-story hotel in Buckhead. Originally built as the Hotel Nikko Atlanta and owned by Nikko Hotels.[47] Purchased by Hyatt in 1997.[48]
Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta 1992 Rabun, Rasche, Rector & Reece, Architects Located in the GLG Grand. Originally known as the GLG Grand Hotel and later the Occidental Grand Hotel. Became a Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts property in the late 1997.[49]
Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead 2008 Robert A.M. Stern Architects

Milton Pate Architects

 Originally known as The Mansion on Peachtree. Renamed The Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta in 2012. Gained its current name in 2018.[50]

References

Bibliography

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