Patrick Henry Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Patrick Henry Hotel is a Colonial Revival
former hotel
listed on both the National Register of Historic Places
and the Virginia Landmarks Register
in Downtown
Roanoke
, Virginia
, United States
. Located at 617 South Jefferson Street at the southern end of Downtown, the Patrick Henry was designed by William Lee Stoddart
and opened in 1925
. After being shuttered in 2007, the former hotel is being redeveloped into apartment
s, office space, and a restaurant in the former lobby
and being rebranded as simply The Patrick Henry.
, Roanoke continued to develop as a boomtown
due to the growth of the Norfolk and Western Railway
, and as such, the city needed additional lodging options for persons traveling to the city. In 1923, local business leader William Wise Boxley chartered The Hotel Corporation to serve as the developer of the Patrick Henry. Later in the year, Boxley selected William Lee Stoddart as the project architect with James Stewart & Company of New York
selected as the general contractor
. With overall construction costs rising, in 1924, Boxley chartered the New Hotel Corporation to raise additional capital needed to complete the hotel. Taking its name from the American Founding Father
Patrick Henry
, the 300-room hotel celebrated its grand opening
the following year on November 10, 1925, with over 2,000 people in attendance.
The Patrick Henry name was actually chosen in a naming contest, and the winner was a young Roanoker, John Payne, who went on to become a Hollywood star in the 1940s, appearing in Miracle on 32nd Street, among others.
At the time of its opening, the Patrick Henry was operated by the hotel management
firm of Meyer Hotels of Birmingham
, Alabama
; Meyer operated the hotel through 1954. In the interim, the hotel received its first major renovation in 1938 under the design of local architects Edward G. Frye and Frank F. Stone. A local management company operated the hotel for a few years, and in 1961 the American Hotel Corporation took control when the Patrick Henry was auctioned off to pay off ownerships debts; American Hotel ran the hotel until 1968. It was at this time the Monterey Corporation of Parkersburg
, West Virginia
, renovated the original 300 rooms into 121 hotel and apartment units.
The building was operated as both apartments and a hotel though the 1980s. In 1990 Affirmative Equities of New York purchased the hotel and spent $3 million to renovate the structure and rebrand it under the Radisson
name. After several attempts to foreclose on the property, by the late 1990s, Affirmative Equities was considering options on converting the hotel into senior living units. Attempts co convert the hotel into senior living units failed in both 2002 and again in 2004. With the final resident having moved out by 2005, the hotel closed its doors in 2007 and the structure was subsequently condemned as it was non-compliant with fire code. After being foreclosed on in 2009 for failing to pay back taxes, the property was purchased by Potomac Realty Capital of Boston
for $2 million and subsequently resold to Roanoke developer Ed Walker the following October.
Since late 2009, its transformation into apartments has been ongoing. In December 2010. the Jefferson College of Health Sciences
announced they would reserve 56 of the units for use by their students. The $20 million renovation is scheduled to be complete by summer 2011 and will include 134 apartment units, a restaurant, and retail/office space.
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
former hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
listed on both the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and the Virginia Landmarks Register
Virginia Landmarks Register
The Virginia Landmarks Register is a list of historic properties in the state of Virginia. The state's official list of important historic sites, it was created in 1966. The Register serves the same purpose as the National Register of Historic Places...
in Downtown
Downtown Roanoke
Downtown is the central business district of Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Located geographically at the center of the city, Downtown began its development with the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in 1882...
Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located at 617 South Jefferson Street at the southern end of Downtown, the Patrick Henry was designed by William Lee Stoddart
William Lee Stoddart
William Lee Stoddart was an architect best known for urban hotels in the eastern United States. Even though he was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, the bulk of his commissions were in the South. He maintained offices in Atlanta and New York City....
and opened in 1925
1925 in architecture
The year 1925 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:*The Mount Pleasant Library opens in Washington, DC, designed by Edward Lippincott Tilton*The Bauhaus moves to a building in Dessau, designed by Walter Gropius....
. After being shuttered in 2007, the former hotel is being redeveloped into apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s, office space, and a restaurant in the former lobby
Lobby (room)
A lobby is a room in a building which is used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer or an entrance hall.Many office buildings, hotels and skyscrapers go to great lengths to decorate their lobbies to create the right impression....
and being rebranded as simply The Patrick Henry.
History
In the years following World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Roanoke continued to develop as a boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
due to the growth of the Norfolk and Western Railway
Norfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
, and as such, the city needed additional lodging options for persons traveling to the city. In 1923, local business leader William Wise Boxley chartered The Hotel Corporation to serve as the developer of the Patrick Henry. Later in the year, Boxley selected William Lee Stoddart as the project architect with James Stewart & Company of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
selected as the general contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
. With overall construction costs rising, in 1924, Boxley chartered the New Hotel Corporation to raise additional capital needed to complete the hotel. Taking its name from the American Founding Father
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
, the 300-room hotel celebrated its grand opening
Grand opening
Grand opening is a term used when a business, public office, or private association wishes to announce the official opening of a new location. This differs from just opening the doors on the first day, in that a grand opening is more of a celebration event, not just the first day having the doors...
the following year on November 10, 1925, with over 2,000 people in attendance.
The Patrick Henry name was actually chosen in a naming contest, and the winner was a young Roanoker, John Payne, who went on to become a Hollywood star in the 1940s, appearing in Miracle on 32nd Street, among others.
At the time of its opening, the Patrick Henry was operated by the hotel management
Hotel manager
A hotel manager or hotelier is a person who holds a management occupation within a hotel, motel, or resort establishment. Management titles and duties vary by company. In some hotels the title hotel manager or hotelier may solely be referred to the General Manager of the hotel...
firm of Meyer Hotels of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
; Meyer operated the hotel through 1954. In the interim, the hotel received its first major renovation in 1938 under the design of local architects Edward G. Frye and Frank F. Stone. A local management company operated the hotel for a few years, and in 1961 the American Hotel Corporation took control when the Patrick Henry was auctioned off to pay off ownerships debts; American Hotel ran the hotel until 1968. It was at this time the Monterey Corporation of Parkersburg
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, renovated the original 300 rooms into 121 hotel and apartment units.
The building was operated as both apartments and a hotel though the 1980s. In 1990 Affirmative Equities of New York purchased the hotel and spent $3 million to renovate the structure and rebrand it under the Radisson
Radisson Hotels
Radisson Hotels is one of the leading, full-service global hotel companies with more than 420 locations in 73 countries. The first Radisson Hotel was built in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1909, and was named after the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson...
name. After several attempts to foreclose on the property, by the late 1990s, Affirmative Equities was considering options on converting the hotel into senior living units. Attempts co convert the hotel into senior living units failed in both 2002 and again in 2004. With the final resident having moved out by 2005, the hotel closed its doors in 2007 and the structure was subsequently condemned as it was non-compliant with fire code. After being foreclosed on in 2009 for failing to pay back taxes, the property was purchased by Potomac Realty Capital of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
for $2 million and subsequently resold to Roanoke developer Ed Walker the following October.
Since late 2009, its transformation into apartments has been ongoing. In December 2010. the Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Jefferson College of Health Sciences is an independent, private, coeducational, health sciences college located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A....
announced they would reserve 56 of the units for use by their students. The $20 million renovation is scheduled to be complete by summer 2011 and will include 134 apartment units, a restaurant, and retail/office space.
External links
- The Patrick Henry official website