Francis Marion Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Francis Marion Hotel
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in South Carolina
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| Location | King and Calhoun Sts., Charleston, South Carolina |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | W.L. Stoddart |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Part of | Charleston Historic District (ID84002028) |
| Added to NRHP | August 2, 1984 |
The Francis Marion Hotel is a famous and tall building located in Charleston, South Carolina. It's named after Francis Marion, a brave hero from the American Revolutionary War. This grand hotel was built in 1924 by local investors. It cost about $1.5 million to build. The design came from a well-known architect named William Lee Stoddart from New York. When it first opened, the Francis Marion Hotel was the biggest and most impressive hotel in the Carolinas!
Contents
Discover the Francis Marion Hotel's History
A Grand Beginning
The hotel was built by a group called Marion Square Realty Co. This group was led by T.T. Hyde, who used to be the mayor of Charleston. They officially started their group on March 13, 1920. The hotel welcomed its first guests on February 7, 1924.
Early Updates
In 1952, the Francis Marion Hotel became the first hotel in Charleston to have air conditioning in every room. Imagine how cool that was!
Modern Updates and New Owners
In 1954, a company called Jack Tar Hotels Corp. bought the hotel. They made big changes in 1955 and 1956. During this time, they created a new restaurant on the ground floor. It was called the Swamp Fox Room, named after Francis Marion's nickname. The outside of the ground floor was also changed to red granite.
In 1961, there were plans to build a three-story parking garage next to the hotel. However, these plans were never finished.
Famous Guests
From 1965 to 1975, a very important person lived in the hotel's penthouse. This was General Mark W. Clark, who had just retired as the president of The Citadel. He lived there with his wife.
Facing Challenges and Changes
By 1976, the hotel was having a tough time. Its owners thought about selling it. At that point, the Francis Marion Hotel had about a quarter of all the hotel rooms in the Charleston area. In 1975, there was even an idea to turn the hotel into a home for older people.
In 1977, another group of investors thought about buying the hotel. They considered fixing it up, and the City of Charleston thought about building a parking garage nearby. But the cost to make it a top-notch hotel again was too high, around $3 million.
New Owners and Renovations
In December 1984, a group called Hospitality Associates of Charleston bought the hotel for $8.5 million. It then operated under different names, first as the Francis Marion Ramada Hotel and later as the Radisson Francis Marion Hotel.
In 1989, shortly after Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston, a new group of investors bought the hotel for $3.2 million. They had a big plan to spend $12 million on restoring it. But the economy wasn't doing well, so they couldn't get the money. Mayor Joseph P. Riley wanted the hotel to help bring new life to the upper King Street area. He worked hard to get local banks to help, and they gave $5.5 million. The city also helped with over $4 million!
In 1991, the City of Charleston even thought about buying the hotel itself. The idea was to lease it to the College of Charleston for student housing.
A New Chapter: Restoration and Reopening
The hotel finally got a careful and detailed restoration in 1996. This $12 million project won an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation! It reopened as The Francis Marion Hotel - A Clarion Hotel.
The hotel had more renovations in 1997, costing $2 million. On June 18, 1998, it was renamed The Westin Francis Marion. However, it left Westin on January 1, 2003. Since then, it has been run independently. Today, the hotel has 226 guest rooms and suites.
The Francis Marion Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. This helped it get special tax credits to pay for its renovations.
