King Edward Hotel (Jackson, Mississippi) facts for kids
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Edwards Hotel
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King Edward Hotel in Jackson, Mississippi
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 Location in Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Location | Jackson, Mississippi |
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| Built | 1923 |
| Architect | Nolan, William T. |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001096 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1976 |
The King Edward Hotel, first known as the Edwards Hotel, is a historic building in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. It was built in 1923. This hotel is the second building on the same spot at Capitol and Mill Streets. It was closed and empty for nearly 40 years before work to fix it up started in 2006.
The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It was also named a Mississippi Landmark in 1990. From 2007 to 2009, the hotel was restored. It now has both apartments and a hotel called the Hilton Garden Inn Jackson Downtown. This new hotel opened on December 17, 2009. It has a restaurant called King Edward Grill, a bar, a convenience store, a coffee shop, and a fitness center.
Hotel History
The very first hotel on this site was called the Confederate House. It was built in 1861 by "Major" R.O. Edwards. During the American Civil War, this hotel was destroyed in 1863.
Major Edwards then built a new hotel on the same spot. It was called the Edwards House and opened in 1867. This building was later replaced in 1923 by the hotel you see today.
Building the Current Hotel
The current King Edward Hotel is a 12-story building made of beige brick. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts architecture style by New Orleans architect William T. Nolan. The hotel first opened as the Edwards Hotel on December 29, 1923. For over 40 years, it was a very important place for social events and politics in Jackson.
In December 1930, a room at the hotel was used by Okeh Records. They recorded many important blues music sessions there.
Changes and Closure
In 1954, a rich businessman named R.E. "Dumas" Milner bought the hotel. Milner updated the hotel to a modern style and renamed it the King Edward Hotel. Many of the original design details were covered up during these changes. The hotel closed in 1967 because fewer and fewer people were staying there.
In 1976, Standard Life bought the building. They helped get it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1981, they sold it to private developers. For many years, people tried to fix up the building, but nothing worked. Some even thought about tearing it down.
Restoring the Hotel
Finally, a plan to restore the hotel was agreed upon. The former Mayor of Jackson, Harvey Johnson Jr., said that fixing up the hotel was key to making downtown Jackson better.
In December 2006, a group formed to restore the King Edward. This group included Watkins Partners, former New Orleans Saints football player Deuce McAllister, and Historic Restoration Inc. from New Orleans.
The hotel reopened in December 2009 as the Hilton Garden Inn-Jackson Downtown. It now has 186 hotel rooms and 64 fancy apartments. It also has a restaurant, a bar, a coffee shop, and some shops. The inside of the hotel was designed by Thomas Hamilton & Associates. They made sure to keep some of the original historic parts of the building while adding new features. The restoration work began in November 2007 and finished in December 2009. It cost $90 million.
See also
In Spanish: King Edward Hotel (Jackson) para niños
