The Greenbrier facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids The Greenbrier
Main entrance in 2011
General information
Status	Complete
Address	300 W. Main Street
Town or city	White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Country	United States
Opened	September 25, 1913
Owner	Justice Family Group
Grounds	11,000 acres (4,500 ha)
Other information
Number of rooms	710
Number of suites	33
Number of restaurants	9
Number of bars	11


The Greenbrier
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District

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Location	Greenbrier County, near White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Built	1858, 1913
Architect	John H.B. Latrobe et al.
Architectural style	Classical revival, Federal
NRHP reference No.	74002000
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 9, 1974
Designated NHLD	June 21, 1990

The Greenbrier is a fancy resort located in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, near a town called White Sulphur Springs. It's a huge place where people go to relax and have fun.

For hundreds of years, since 1778, people have visited this area. They came to "take the waters" from the natural springs, believing they had healing powers. Today, The Greenbrier sits on 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) of land. It has 710 guest rooms, many restaurants and lounges, over 55 indoor and outdoor activities, and 36 shops.

The main Greenbrier building you see today was built in 1913 by a railroad company. This company and its later versions owned the hotel for a long time. In 2009, a businessman named Jim Justice, who later became the Governor of West Virginia, bought the resort. He promised to make it a top-rated hotel again. He also added a casino for guests.

Many important people have stayed at The Greenbrier. A total of 26 U.S. presidents have visited, including Dwight D. Eisenhower. The resort is also famous for a huge secret underground bunker. This bunker was built during the Cold War to protect the United States Congress in case of a nuclear attack. It was called "Project Greek Island".

Resort History
Resort Features
- The Casino Club
- Presidents' Cottage Museum
Golf at The Greenbrier
Tennis at The Greenbrier
Medical and Sports Facilities
The Greenbrier in Pop Culture
Images for kids
See also

Resort History

Early Days and the Spring

At the heart of The Greenbrier resort is a special sulphur spring. It's surrounded by a white building with columns and a green dome. This dome has been a symbol of The Greenbrier for many years. In 1778, a local woman named Mrs. Anderson used the spring water to help her rheumatism, following a tradition of local Native Americans.

For its first 125 years, the resort was known as White Sulphur Springs. People would visit in the summers to escape the heat and illnesses common in coastal areas. A family from Baltimore, the Calwells, bought the property. They built it up as a resort, selling small cottages to important people from the Southern United States. Famous guests in the early 1800s included Martin Van Buren and Henry Clay.

In 1858, a large hotel building was constructed. It was called the Grand Central Hotel, but people often called it "The Old White". During the American Civil War, the resort was used by both the Confederate and Union armies. It almost got burned down!

After the Civil War, the resort reopened. It became a place where people from both the North and South could vacation together. It even hosted important meetings to help heal the country. In 1869, a railroad line reached the resort, making it much easier for people to visit.

The Modern Greenbrier

In 1910, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway bought the resort. They added new features, including a bath wing in 1911. The biggest change was a huge six-story hotel building with 250 rooms. This building, designed by Frederick Sterner, opened on September 25, 1913.

At this time, the resort changed its name to The Greenbrier, named after the nearby county. It also started staying open all year, not just in summer. The railroad also brought the game of golf to the resort. The first small golf course opened in 1910. A full 18-hole course, designed by Charles B. Macdonald, opened in 1913. This course is now known as "The Old White TPC". The original "Old White" hotel building was taken down in 1922 because it was old and didn't meet fire safety rules. In 1931, a new wing was added, almost doubling the hotel's size.

World War II and Hospital Use

When the United States entered World War II, The Greenbrier was used for a special purpose. Starting in December 1941, it became a place where diplomats from countries like Germany and Japan, who were in the U.S. when the war started, were held. They stayed there until July 1942.

The hotel briefly reopened in 1942, but soon the U.S. Army took it over. They paid $3.3 million for the property. On September 1, 1942, it became a 2,000-bed hospital called Ashford General Hospital. This hospital treated almost 25,000 patients before closing in June 1946. The property was then sold back to the railroad company.

Reopening and Famous Guests

The railroad hired a famous interior designer, Dorothy Draper, to completely redecorate The Greenbrier. She used bold colors and a mix of old and new styles. Her work took two years. The grand reopening in April 1948 was a huge event. Many famous people attended, including the Duke of Windsor and his wife, Wallis Simpson, and singer Bing Crosby.

Since then, the resort has hosted many presidents, vice-presidents, and important leaders from other countries. These guests include Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.

Hosting Important Meetings

The Greenbrier has been the location for several important international meetings. During World War II, Lester B. Pearson, who later became Canada's prime minister, helped plan how Allied countries would share resources while staying at the resort. In 1955, leaders from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada met at The Greenbrier for important talks.

The Secret Bunker

In the late 1950s, the U.S. government asked The Greenbrier for help. They wanted to build a secret emergency shelter for the United States Congress. This was in case of a nuclear holocaust during the Cold War. This secret underground place was called "Project Greek Island". It was built at the same time as a new part of the hotel, from 1959 to 1962.

For 30 years, the bunker was kept ready with supplies. But it was never actually used as an emergency shelter, even during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The government kept the bunker a secret. However, in 1992, a reporter named Ted Gup from The Washington Post wrote a story about it. After the story came out, the government stopped using the bunker.

Today, the bunker has been updated. It's now used for storing computer data. It's also a popular attraction where visitors can take tours and learn about its secret history.

New Ownership

In March 2009, The Greenbrier faced financial problems. It was announced that the Marriott hotel chain might buy it. However, on May 7, 2009, the Justice family from West Virginia bought the resort for $20 million. The Justice family, led by Jim Justice, owns many farms and mining businesses.

The resort had to close for a short time after a big flood in West Virginia in 2016. But it offered rooms to flood victims who needed a place to stay. The hotel reopened on July 12, 2016. It added new activities like an off-road Jeep trail and walking paths.

When Jim Justice was elected Governor of West Virginia in 2017, his daughter Jill took over running The Greenbrier every day.

Resort Features

The Casino Club

In 2008, people in the county voted to allow casino gambling at the hotel. The rules for this were approved in 2009. The Justice family promised that the gambling areas would be "tasteful".

A temporary casino, "The Tavern Casino", opened on October 1, 2009. The main casino, The Casino Club at The Greenbrier, opened on July 2, 2010, with a big celebrity party. Only guests of The Greenbrier can visit the casino. In 2013, the casino added horse racing betting.

Presidents' Cottage Museum

As mentioned, 26 U.S. presidents have stayed at The Greenbrier. The Presidents' Cottage Museum is a two-story building. It has exhibits about these presidential visits and the long history of The Greenbrier. This museum is open during certain times of the year.

Golf at The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier is very important in golf history. The first nine holes were designed by Alexander H. Findlay. Famous golfers like Sam Snead and Tom Watson have been the head golf professionals here. Currently, Lee Trevino holds the title of the resort's pro emeritus.

The Greenbrier hosted the Ryder Cup in 1979. This was the first time the Ryder Cup was played between the United States and Europe. It also hosted the Solheim Cup in 1994, which is the women's version of the Ryder Cup. The Greenbrier is one of only three places to host both of these major team golf competitions.

The PGA Tour held a tournament called the Greenbrier Classic at the hotel from 2010 to 2015. The Old White Course became a special TPC course in 2011. The 2016 tournament was canceled because of severe flooding.

All four of the golf courses at the resort were damaged in the 2016 flood. These include the Old White TPC, the Greenbrier Course, the Meadows Course, and the Snead Course. A special modified course was opened for play in 2016, using parts of the Greenbrier and Meadows courses. The other courses were closed for the rest of that year. In 2020, the PGA Tour ended its partnership with The Greenbrier. The resort will host a LIV Golf event in 2023.

Tennis at The Greenbrier

The resort has a large tennis stadium with 2,500 seats. It also has five outdoor clay courts and five indoor hard courts. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all matches for the 2020 World TeamTennis season were held at The Greenbrier.

Medical and Sports Facilities

The Greenbrier Clinic is next to the hotel. It has been a health facility for business leaders since 1948. In 2011, Jim Justice announced a big plan to build the Greenbrier Medical Institute. This would be a large medical facility, costing at least $250 million. It was planned to include a sports medicine center led by famous orthopedic surgeon James Andrews. Construction began in May 2012.

This project aimed to work with professional sports teams. The resort wanted to attract a National Football League team to hold its annual training camp at The Greenbrier. In March 2014, the New Orleans Saints football team agreed to a three-year deal with the hotel. The hotel built three football fields and other facilities for the Saints. This cost about $20–25 million.

The Saints praised the Greenbrier's facilities. After three seasons, the Saints did not renew their contract. The Houston Texans then used the facilities for their training camp in 2017.

The Greenbrier in Pop Culture

The video game Fallout 76 is set in West Virginia after a nuclear war. It features a place called "The Whitespring Resort" that looks a lot like The Greenbrier. It even has a hidden government bunker underneath.
The 2010 novel Entombed by Brian Keene takes place in a fictional hotel in West Virginia with a bunker. The author said he was inspired by The Greenbrier.
The Greenbrier's bunker was part of a question on the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Comedian Norm Macdonald was asked a $1,000,000 question about it.
The Greenbrier was used as a setting in the 1933 film Mary Stevens, M.D.

Images for kids

The sprawling resort complex, surrounded by mountains on the resort's 11,000-acre property
North entrance in 2008
The back patio in 2006
The historic springhouse
Robert E. Lee, seated second from left, with his former Confederate generals at White Sulphur Springs, August 1869.
At White Sulphur Springs, 1870
"The Old White" in 1916
The Greenbrier in the late 1930s, showing the central 1913 wing, the back side of the 1931 north wing, and the 1911 bath wing on the right
An interior view, 2020