Scimitar Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Scimitar Building
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| Location | 179 Madison Avenue at Third Street Memphis, Tennessee |
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| Built | 1902 |
| Architect | August A. Chigazola and William J. Hanker |
| NRHP reference No. | 83003065 |
| Added to NRHP | June 1983 |
The Scimitar Building is a cool five-story building in Memphis, Tennessee. It has had many names, like the Memphis Light, Gas, and Water Building, the Winchester Building, and now it's called the Hotel Napoleon. This building used to be home to a newspaper called the Evening Scimitar. Today, it's a fancy hotel!
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What Does the Building Look Like?
The Scimitar Building has five floors and is made of stone. Inside, the main entrance area, called the lobby, is decorated with beautiful marble from Tennessee. You'll also see big, round, arched windows.
The building used to have two entrances, one on Third Street and one on Madison Street. Look up high on the fifth floor, and you'll spot cool lion heads carved into the stone! Even though the building has been changed a few times over the years, it still looks a lot like it did when it was first built.
A Look Back: The Building's Story
The Scimitar Building was built in 1902. A rich businessman named Napoleon Hill asked for it to be built. He was one of the wealthiest people in Memphis. He also owned part of the Evening Scimitar newspaper.
The building was designed by two local architects, August A. Chigazola and William J. Hanker. If you look closely at the outside of the building, you can still see Napoleon Hill's initials carved into it!
Home of the Newspaper
From 1902 to 1929, the Scimitar Building was the home of the Evening Scimitar newspaper. Later, this newspaper became known as the Press-Scimitar. The newspaper used three whole floors of the building!
In the basement, they had special rooms where they prepared the newspaper pages and printed them. People walking by on the street could even peek through the big windows and watch the giant printing presses at work! By 1926, the newspaper grew too big for the building and moved to a new location.
New Owners, New Names
After the newspaper moved out, the building became the main office for Memphis Light, Gas and Water. This company provides electricity, gas, and water to the city. They stayed there from 1937 to 1970.
Later, the building became an office building known as the Winchester Building. In 1983, the Winchester Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site.
Becoming a Hotel
In 2012, the building was put up for sale. It was bought in 2014. Then, in 2016, it opened again as the Hotel Napoleon.
The hotel has 56 guest rooms, a business center, and a fitness center. It was named after Napoleon Hill, the building's first owner. The Hotel Napoleon is part of a group of unique hotels called Ascend Hotels.
