Patrick Henry Hotel facts for kids
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Patrick Henry Hotel
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 617 S Jefferson Street Roanoke, VA, USA |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Architect | William Lee Stoddart |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000829 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 3, 1991 |
The Patrick Henry Hotel is a historic building in Roanoke, Virginia. It used to be a grand hotel. Today, it has been changed into apartments, offices, and a restaurant. The building is famous for its Colonial Revival architecture style. It is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.
The hotel is located in Downtown Roanoke at 617 South Jefferson Street. It was designed by a famous architect named William Lee Stoddart. The Patrick Henry Hotel first opened its doors in 1925.
Contents
A Look Back: The Hotel's History
Why a New Hotel Was Needed
After World War I, the city of Roanoke grew very quickly. This was because of the Norfolk and Western Railway. Many people were traveling to Roanoke for business. The city needed more places for visitors to stay.
In 1923, a local business leader named William Wise Boxley had an idea. He created a company called The Hotel Corporation. Its goal was to build a new, large hotel.
Building the Patrick Henry
Later in 1923, Boxley chose William Lee Stoddart to design the hotel. James Stewart & Company from New York was chosen to build it. Building a big hotel costs a lot of money. In 1924, Boxley created another company, the New Hotel Corporation. This helped raise more money to finish the hotel.
The hotel was named after Patrick Henry. He was one of the important Founding Fathers of America. The hotel had 300 rooms. Its grand opening was on November 10, 1925. More than 2,000 people came to celebrate!
A Star's Connection
The name "Patrick Henry" was chosen in a contest. A young boy from Roanoke named John Payne won the contest. John Payne later became a famous Hollywood actor in the 1940s. He starred in movies like Miracle on 32nd Street.
Running the Hotel Over the Years
When it first opened, Meyer Hotels managed the Patrick Henry. This company was from Birmingham, Alabama. They ran the hotel until 1954. The hotel got its first big update in 1938. Local architects Edward G. Frye and Frank F. Stone designed the changes.
After Meyer Hotels, a local company managed the hotel for a few years. In 1961, the American Hotel Corporation took over. This happened when the hotel was sold because of money problems. American Hotel ran the hotel until 1968. At that time, the Monterey Corporation from Parkersburg, West Virginia, updated the hotel. They changed the 300 original rooms into 121 hotel and apartment units.
Changes and Challenges
The building was used as both apartments and a hotel through the 1980s. In 1990, a company from New York bought the hotel. They spent $3 million to fix it up. They also changed its name to a Radisson hotel.
Later, the hotel faced more money problems. By the late 1990s, the owners thought about turning the hotel into homes for older people. This idea did not work out in 2002 or 2004. By 2005, the last person living there had moved out. The hotel officially closed in 2007. The building was then declared unsafe because it did not meet fire safety rules.
In 2009, the property was taken over because of unpaid taxes. A company from Boston bought it for $2 million. Then, a Roanoke developer named Ed Walker bought it in October of that year.
New Life as Apartments
The work to turn the old hotel into apartments began in late 2009. In December 2010, Jefferson College of Health Sciences announced something exciting. They would set aside 56 of the new apartments for their students. The big renovation cost $20 million. It was finished in June 2011. Now, the building has 134 apartment units. It also has a restaurant and spaces for shops or offices.
