Henry Grady Hotel

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Coordinates: 33°45′34″N 84°23′16″W / 33.75944°N 84.38778°W / 33.75944; -84.38778
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Henry Grady Hotel
US$1,000,000
OwnerGovernment of Georgia
Technical details
Floor count13
Design and construction
Architect(s)G. Lloyd Preacher

The Henry Grady Hotel was a

Peachtree Plaza Hotel
was built on the site. At the time of its completion in 1976, it was the tallest hotel building in the world.

History

Background and construction

The Henry Grady Hotel was constructed in

Victorian Gothic[4] mansion built in 1869 by architect William H. Parkins for businessman John H. James.[2] That building and the land was later sold to the government of Georgia and was used as the official residence for the governor of Georgia between 1870 and 1921, housing seventeen governors during this time.[2] Governor Hugh Dorsey was the last to live in the mansion, and after Thomas W. Hardwick became governor in 1921, he took up residence in the Georgian Terrace Hotel.[5] In 1923, the building was demolished.[2][6][7]

Following the mansion's demolition, construction began on a

Atlanta Chamber of Commerce during the hotel's construction, they stated that the Grady would be "one of the largest and most centrally located hotels in the city".[19] The hotel was completed before Thanksgiving[20] in 1924,[8][1] with an estimated cost of $1 million.[21]

The hotel proved to be a popular locale within the city. In its first few decades, it hosted meetings for the Atlanta League of Women Voters[22] and served as the headquarters for radio station WATL.[23] It was a popular venue for many of the big bands that visited Atlanta in the early 1900s,[24] including the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra.[25] Starting in 1949,[26] performers Dick Van Dyke and Phil Erickson had a five-year residency at the hotel.[27]

Political importance

However, the hotel was probably most notable for its connections to Georgian politics, with historian Floyd Hunter calling the hotel "politically famous".[28] In the early 1900s, the Kimball House hotel had served as the lodging for state legislators while they were staying in Atlanta, Georgia's capital city.[29] However, by 1930,[30] the Henry Grady Hotel had become many politicians' Atlanta residences during the legislative sessions,[31][32][33][34][35] and as a result, a great deal of politicking took place in the building.[30] Influential politician Roy V. Harris had a suite in the building,[36] with former Governor Herman Talmadge later describing it as a smoke-filled room.[30] During the three governors controversy of 1947, both Talmadge and Melvin E. Thompson, who both claimed to be the legitimate governor, had their offices located in the hotel.[37] In the 1960s, the hotel served as the campaign headquarters for Lester Maddox in his 1966 gubernatorial campaign,[38][39] and the American Independent Party held their Georgia meeting at the hotel as part of George Wallace's 1968 presidential campaign.[40] Additionally, the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan had held a meeting and established a national committee in the hotel in 1960.[41]

The Henry Grady Hotel (right), looking south down Peachtree Street, c. 1927

According to

Atlanta Mayor William B. Hartsfield first proposed plans for what would become the Downtown Connector roadway.[44] Noted individuals who had suites in the hotel included businessman J. B. Fuqua, who stayed there to be closer to Georgian politicians,[45] and Steadman Vincent Sanford,[46] who served as the president of the University of Georgia and, later, the chancellor of the University System of Georgia
.

In addition to its importance as a place of politicking, multiple individuals have made note of illicit acts and the atmosphere of debauchery that existed in the hotel while the politicians were there. During the

The Atlanta Constitution, would sometimes publish accounts of ongoings in the hotel, but many considered the topic off-limits and were largely uncritical of the events unfolding there.[49]

Civil Rights protesting

During the

African American students from the Atlanta University Center attempted to get seats at a restaurant in the hotel's lobby, but were denied based on their race.[51] After two of the students refused to leave the premises, they were arrested.[51] The other students who were not arrested staged a lie-in in the lobby that was later given national coverage in the magazine Jet.[52] Additionally, the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights led a picketing protest outside the hotel.[53] The hotel eventually desegregated following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.[54]

Demolition

Peachtree Plaza Hotel
was constructed on the site of the Henry Grady Hotel.

In 1967,

Peachtree Plaza Hotel was constructed.[55][56][57] This new hotel, which was completed in 1976,[6] was at the time of its construction the tallest hotel building in the world.[28]

Architecture

The Henry Grady Hotel was located in downtown Atlanta, on the same city block as

red brick façade, with the front entrance having a glass-covered veranda.[6] In 1942, there were plans to add a 32-floor extension to the hotel that would have made it the tallest building in the city, though this plan never came to fruition.[63]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Several sources, including Atlanta historian Franklin Garrett and the Henry Grady Hotel entry on Emporis, state that the building had 13 floors.[20][6] However, other sources state that the hotel had 11 floors,[59] 12 floors,[15] and 14 floors.[62]

References

  1. ^ a b c Sibley 1963, p. 77.
  2. ^ a b c d King 1969, p. 24.
  3. ^ Kahn 2015.
  4. ^ Gwin 1983, p. 90.
  5. ^ Gwin 1983, pp. 47–49.
  6. ^ a b c d Gray 2009, p. 188.
  7. ^ Shavin & Galphin 1985, p. 105.
  8. ^ a b Smith 1925a, p. 52.
  9. ^ a b Martin 1987, p. 496.
  10. ^ Talmadge 1987, pp. 100–101.
  11. ^ Sibley 1963, p. 20.
  12. ^ a b Dabney 1974, p. 22.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Martin 1987, pp. 496–497.
  14. ^ The Hotel Monthly 1927, p. 54.
  15. ^ a b Smith 1923, p. 68.
  16. ^ Houser 1924, p. 11.
  17. ^ Rogers 1924, p. 31.
  18. ^ Newton 1925, p. 45.
  19. ^ Houser 1923, p. 4.
  20. ^ a b c d Garrett 1969, p. 806.
  21. ^ Tatum 1923, p. 5.
  22. ^ Parsons 2000, p. 20.
  23. ^ Daniel 2001, p. 153.
  24. ^ Keegan 2002, p. 51.
  25. ^ Edmiston 2003, p. 174.
  26. ^ Van Dyke 2011, p. 40.
  27. ^ Asher 2005, p. 19.
  28. ^ a b Hunter 1980, p. 129.
  29. ^ Griffin & Chalker 1988, p. 115.
  30. ^ a b c Talmadge 1987, p. 101.
  31. ^ Laite 1972, p. 61.
  32. ^ Cannon 1999, p. 93.
  33. ^ Black 1999, p. 212.
  34. ^ Hyatt 2003, pp. 31–33.
  35. ^ Alter 2021, p. 123.
  36. ^ Allen 1996, p. 18.
  37. ^ Talmadge 1987, p. 84.
  38. ^ Short 1999, p. 86.
  39. ^ Kruse 2005, p. 222.
  40. ^ Burns 2011, p. 19.
  41. ^ Gray 2009, p. 191.
  42. ^ Carter 1992, p. 81.
  43. ^ Kytle & Mackay 1998, p. 44.
  44. ^ Allen 1996, pp. 32–33.
  45. ^ Fuqua 2001, p. 197.
  46. ^ Gurr 1999, p. 169.
  47. ^ Carter 1992, p. 180.
  48. ^ Hyatt 1997, p. 99.
  49. ^ Hyatt 1997, pp. 106–107.
  50. ^ Trillin 1964, p. 6.
  51. ^ a b Lefever 2005, pp. 150–152.
  52. ^ Lefever 2005, pp. 150–151.
  53. ^ Grady-Willis 2006, pp. 39–41.
  54. ^ Risen 2014, p. 245.
  55. ^ Gwin 1983, p. 49.
  56. ^ Shavin & Galphin 1985, p. 226.
  57. ^ Gournay 1993, p. 51.
  58. ^ Garrett 1969, p. 323.
  59. ^ a b Garrison 1987, p. 103.
  60. ^ Smith 1925b, p. 5.
  61. ^ Garrett 1969, p. 813.
  62. ^ Steed 1924, p. 17.
  63. ^ Martin 1987, pp. 448–449.

Sources

Further reading

External links

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