Hotels in Meridian, Mississippi facts for kids
Meridian, Mississippi, has many old hotels. These buildings show us how the city grew, especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many hotels were built downtown back then. They gave places to stay for people traveling by train. Trains were super important for Meridian's growth at that time.
Two of these old hotels, the Union Hotel (built in 1910) and the Lamar Hotel (built in 1927), are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites. Other hotels, like the E.F. Young Hotel, were owned by an African-American businessman. They are also recognized as important parts of the Meridian Downtown Historic District.
Today, most hotels in Meridian are in newer areas outside the city center. But some people want to bring a hotel back to downtown. This would help make the city's old center lively again and support local theaters. The Threefoot Building, which used to be an office building, might become a new downtown hotel.
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Hotels from the 1800s
Even before Meridian officially became a city in 1860, hotels were being built. This was because two important railroads, the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the Vicksburg and Montgomery Railroad, were planned to connect there.
After Sherman's attack on the city in 1864 during the American Civil War, only four buildings were left. One of them was the Jones House, which was used as a hotel. It was located where 25th Avenue and 5th Street are today.
Another hotel, the Ragsdale House, was built right after the war in 1865. It was close to the train station. This three-story building had a special covered walkway for guests. It led directly over the dirt road to the train station. This was a fancy feature that other hotels did not have.
Other big hotels built before Meridian's "Golden Age" (1890 to 1930) include:
- The Phoenix Hotel (early 1870s, burned down in 1876)
- The St. Charles Hotel (1881)
- The St. Bernard Hotel (1881)
- The International Hotel (1884)
The owner of the International Hotel was Felix Weidmann. He also started Weidmann's Restaurant in 1870. Today, Weidmann's is the oldest restaurant still open in Mississippi!
Two more hotels were built in 1890: the Grand Avenue Hotel and the Great Southern Hotel. The Grand Avenue Hotel was near the train station. It was popular with families visiting students at the Meridian Male College. A tornado damaged the Grand Avenue Hotel and much of downtown on March 2, 1906. Many photos of the damage were taken from the hotel's second-floor balcony. The building was rebuilt and lasted until the late 1900s. It was listed as an important building in the Meridian Urban Center Historic District in 1979.
The Great Southern Hotel was called "the hotel" by local historian Jack Shank. It was five stories tall and had 150 rooms. It cost $175,000 in 1890, which is like $5,700,000$ today. It took up half a city block! This made it the biggest and most expensive building in Meridian at the time. It had a restaurant on the roof and fancy rooms for social events. Each room had ceiling fans and reading lamps. The hotel also featured beautiful oak wood and a public stenographer (someone who writes down what people say) to help guests.
Hotels near Union Station
When Union Station was built in 1906, it led to more hotels being built. The Elmira Hotel, now at 1804 Front Street, was built in 1905, just before Union Station was finished. In 1910, the Terminal Hotel was built across the street at 1902 Front Street. Both hotels offered rooms for people traveling through Union Station. Union Station was expanded and fixed up in 1997. Since then, these two hotels and many other downtown buildings have also been restored.
Hotel Meridian
Louis H. Arky, a local businessman, also wanted to make money from the new Union Station. He opened the five-story Hotel Meridian in August 1907. It was two blocks from the station. The hotel attracted railroad workers and passengers. It also had a fancy restaurant. The hotel stayed open until at least the 1930s. Later, it was changed into apartments. Hotel Meridian was listed as an important building in the Meridian Urban Center Historic District in 1979. It was also listed in the Meridian Downtown Historic District in 2007.
The building was empty for many years. When the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center (MAEC) bought the property next door for a museum, the owners gave them the Hotel Meridian building. The MAEC decided to tear the building down because of its condition. The hotel was demolished in late 2011. During the demolition, workers found metal cans full of crackers from the 1960s. This showed it was used as a shelter during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
The site was empty for over three years. In 2015, MAEC announced they had raised over $19 million in donations and $25 million from the state. Construction started on October 3, 2015. The MAEC was planned to be finished in November 2017.
Union Hotel
The Union Hotel was built in 1908 for travelers. This four-story building was two blocks from Union Station. It offered rooms to frequent train travelers for only $2 a night, even in the 1960s! P.C. Steele was the first owner. But a group of bond holders took over in 1926. C.W. Tucker leased the hotel from 1932 to 1934. However, he could not keep it going because of the Great Depression.
A couple named Williams took over in 1934. They ran a restaurant on the first floor, which helped the business stay profitable. The Williams family left after World War II but bought the hotel back in 1955. They ran it until it closed on December 18, 1973.
In 1979, the Union Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also an important building in the Meridian Depot Historic District. After being sold by the Williams family in 1981, the hotel became downtown apartments. In 2007, the Depot Historic District joined with the Urban Center Historic District to form the Meridian Downtown Historic District. The Union Hotel became an important part of this larger district.
Meridian's Growth and New Hotels
Meridian's economy was booming in its "Golden Age" (around 1890-1930). This was thanks to the railroad industry and factories. The population was about 15,000 in 1898. By 1906, it had almost doubled to 28,000! Between 1890 and 1930, Meridian was the biggest city in Mississippi. It was also a major manufacturing center in the South. In 1907, about 40 trains stopped in the city every day. They carried passengers and goods to many places. The railroad companies gave over 6,000 jobs to people in Meridian. By 1920, up to 100 trains stopped there daily.
Lamar Hotel
Sam and Joe Meyer, who were successful in the grocery business, wanted to build a grand hotel. They wanted it to show how important Meridian was becoming. In 1927, they built the eleven-story Lamar Hotel. It was on the corner of 5th Street and 21st Avenue. At the time, it was considered a skyscraper! The hotel was named after Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II. He was a former U.S. Senator from Mississippi and a Supreme Court member.
When it was finished, the Lamar Hotel had two big opening events. One was for local and state officials. The second was for everyone else. The hotel was meant to be "the" main hotel in Meridian. At first, it took business away from Hotel Meridian and the Union Hotel. But because of the Great Depression, it never became as grand as planned. Richer people and official visitors usually stayed there. Regular people rarely did. For a short time, the Meridian Art League held art shows in the hotel. These shows later moved to the Meridian Museum of Art.
The hotel stayed open into the 1950s. Then it was sold several times. By the late 1900s, most people traveled by car, not train. They often bypassed downtowns when stopping for the night. Lauderdale County bought the building in 1969. They changed it into offices, calling it the Raymond P. Davis County Annex Building.
The Lamar Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It became a Mississippi Landmark in 1988. It was not part of the smaller historic districts downtown. But in 2007, the larger Meridian Downtown Historic District was created. Then, the Lamar Hotel was listed as an important building in that district. In 2011, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History gave money to the city. This was to check the building for possible repairs. They said it needed "significant repair and restoration."
E. F. Young Hotel
As Meridian grew, African Americans created their own business area. It was just west of the city center, around 25th Avenue and 4th and 5th streets. Black travelers often visited this area. This was because racial segregation laws stopped them from using most other public places. Black-owned businesses included a hotel, two restaurants, and a movie theater.
Many businesses started here. One was owned by E. F. Young, Jr.. He was a local barber and taxi driver. Young opened a hotel and barber shop in 1931. He also started selling hair care products made for African Americans. Some products he made himself. Eventually, Young's businesses included a beauty shop, two barber shops, a shoe shine parlor, and a factory for his products.
While running the barber shops, Young sold hair care products he made in his kitchen. People wanted them so much that he opened a manufacturing company in 1933. The hotel also did well. It was one of the only hotels in Meridian that served black travelers. Young's company did so well that by the end of World War II, his hair products were sold all over Mississippi. This included a pharmacy in Clarksdale and a barber shop in Cleveland. Later, he opened a second factory in Chicago. Chicago was a major destination for many African Americans moving from Mississippi during the Great Migration.
After Young died in 1950, his wife Velma took over the business. In 1969, their son Charles became president. In 1985, Charles Young moved the business offices from the Young Hotel to a new building. By then, he had expanded the product sales to Canada and the Caribbean islands. In 2007, the Young Hotel was listed as an important building in the Meridian Downtown Historic District.
After much discussion, the hotel was torn down on April 24, 2023. This was due to safety concerns.
Bringing Back Downtown Hotels
Starting in the 1960s, people began moving away from downtown Meridian. They preferred new neighborhoods north of the city center. Later, new businesses started moving downtown. The city then worked to save its old buildings. In the 1970s and 80s, they researched how to create historic districts. This helped protect parts of the city's past.
The city created the Meridian Historic Districts and Landmarks Commission in 1979. The Meridian Main Street program started in 1985. Its goal was to use the city's unique history to make downtown better.
Meridian Main Street organized projects to make downtown lively again. They worked with businesses on marketing and design. They helped rebuild Union Station in 1997, making it look like the original 1906 train station. Now it's a multi-modal transportation center for the area. Other Main Street projects included fixing up the Rosenbaum Building in 2001 and Weidmann's Restaurant in 2002. Meridian Main Street and The Riley Foundation also helped renovate the old Grand Opera House in 2006. It became the Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and the Performing Arts. This center hosts events to make the city more exciting.
Just before the Riley Center was finished, the city announced it bought the Threefoot Building. It was hoped that a company from Jackson would turn the old office building into a fancy hotel. People at the Riley Center were happy about this. They said a downtown hotel would be "wonderful for the city of Meridian." But no Jackson company was found for the project.
In 2009, the city partnered with Historic Renovation, Inc. (HRI) from New Orleans. HRI had done a similar project in Jackson. But later that year, the new mayor, Cheri Barry, ended the partnership. The city had to pay HRI $1 million.
Around the same time, local hotel owner Abdul Lala suggested building a new hotel downtown. Lala owns six hotels in Meridian. He first suggested the idea in 2008, before the city partnered with HRI. The Threefoot Building project would cost taxpayers millions. But Lala offered to build a hotel with his own money. He believes downtown cannot support two hotels. So, if the city fixes up the Threefoot, he will not build his hotel.
After the city ended its partnership with HRI, it started working with Watkins Development. They planned to build a new hotel on the same block as the Threefoot Building. Plans released in June 2011 included fixing up the Threefoot Building for businesses and homes. Jason Goree, from Watkins Development, said, "The Riley Center needs a convention center hotel. (Downtown Meridian) needs a convention center hotel." Former mayor John Robert Smith, tourism director Suzy Johnson, and Lala's partner Dede Mogollon all agreed.
In September 2015, the Meridian City Council approved a deal. They sold the Threefoot Building to Ascent Hospitality Management, a hotel company from Buford, Georgia. The building was bought "as-is" for $10,000. Ascent agreed to start building a Courtyard by Marriott hotel with 120 rooms within 12 months. Construction was expected to take 14 to 18 months. The company promised to spend at least $14 million on the project. John Tampa, head of Ascent Hospitality Management, hoped the renovated building would open at the same time as the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center in November 2017. The Arts and Entertainment Center is on the site of the old Hotel Meridian.
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