Battle House Royale
Encyclopedia
The Battle House Hotel, now known as The Battle House Renaissance Hotel, is a historic hotel building in Mobile
, Alabama
. The current building was built in 1908 and is the second hotel to stand in this location, replacing an earlier Battle House that was built in 1852 and burned down in 1905. It is one of the earliest steel frame
structures in Alabama.
during the War of 1812
. The Battle brothers' new hotel was a four-story brick building, with a two-story gallery of cast iron
. The site had been home to two other hotels in the years between Andrew Jackson and the Battle brothers, the Franklin Hotel and the Waverly Hotel. Both of these earlier structures had burned.
A particularly notable event for the hotel occurred when Stephen A. Douglas
was a guest of the hotel the night that he lost the presidency to Abraham Lincoln
. The first Battle House also had such notable guests as Henry Clay
, Jefferson Davis
, Millard Fillmore
, and Winfield Scott
. A National Weather Service
station was established at the Battle House in 1880 and electric lighting was added in 1884. Then, after more than 50 years in service, the hotel burned in 1905.
After the fire, the proprietors hired Frank M. Andrews of New York City
to design a new structure and it was built out of steel and concrete. The new hotel reopened for business in 1908. The hotel remained a prominent fixture of Mobile through the first and second World War
s. Woodrow Wilson
stayed at the Battle House in 1913. It was while he was at the Battle House that he made his famous statement that "the U.S. would never again wage another war of aggression".
The hotel was a Sheraton for many years until it closed its doors in 1974. They would remain closed for the next 30 years. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and continues to be listed as the Battle House Royale, because the vacant building had that name when it was listed in 1975. By 1980 it was the only building left completely intact in its city block. In 2003, Retirement Systems of Alabama
began restoration of the hotel, along with the construction of an adjoining skyscraper, the RSA Battle House Tower
. Both projects were completed in 2007.
columns; the level above the portico has recessed Tuscan loggias with individual window balustrades. A wide third-story molded entablature
is surmounted by cast iron balconies. The window openings over the entire facade have articulated keystones and the openings on the seventh level also feature cast iron balconies. The roof level features a molded projecting cornice with scroll brackets.
The hotel lobby features a domed skylight, dating back to 1908. The ceiling and walls feature elaborate plasterwork and are also painted using the trompe-l'œil technique. The walls are painted with portraits of Louis XIV of France
, George III of the United Kingdom
, Ferdinand V of Castile
, and George Washington
.
The Trellis Room, located on the lobby floor, currently houses a restaurant with a four-diamond rating
. The restaurant delivers a Northern Italian
cuisine. The restaurant seats 90 and features a full-view kitchen so patrons can watch the chefs prepare their meals. The Trellis Room ceiling is barrel vaulted with a Tiffany glass
skylight.
The lobby floor also hosts the Crystal Ballroom, which is known as "Mobile's First Harvest". At one time it was the hotel's restaurant. The room has been restored to vintage colors, as it was in 1908. It features ornate plasterwork with an agricultural theme. The Battle House was a favorite place for southern planters
to get away once their crops were planted. The Crystal Ballroom is now used for social events such as weddings, meetings, and Mardi Gras
balls. The first Mardi Gras ball to be held at the Battle House was The Strikers Ball in 1852. At that time the balls were part of the New Year celebration.
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, 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...
. The current building was built in 1908 and is the second hotel to stand in this location, replacing an earlier Battle House that was built in 1852 and burned down in 1905. It is one of the earliest steel frame
Steel frame
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...
structures in Alabama.
History
The first Battle House Hotel was opened by James Battle and his two half-nephews John and Samuel in 1852 on the site of a former military headquarters set up by Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. The Battle brothers' new hotel was a four-story brick building, with a two-story gallery of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
. The site had been home to two other hotels in the years between Andrew Jackson and the Battle brothers, the Franklin Hotel and the Waverly Hotel. Both of these earlier structures had burned.
A particularly notable event for the hotel occurred when Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
was a guest of the hotel the night that he lost the presidency to Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. The first Battle House also had such notable guests as Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
, Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
, and Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
. A National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
station was established at the Battle House in 1880 and electric lighting was added in 1884. Then, after more than 50 years in service, the hotel burned in 1905.
After the fire, the proprietors hired Frank M. Andrews of New York City
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...
to design a new structure and it was built out of steel and concrete. The new hotel reopened for business in 1908. The hotel remained a prominent fixture of Mobile through the first and second World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s. Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
stayed at the Battle House in 1913. It was while he was at the Battle House that he made his famous statement that "the U.S. would never again wage another war of aggression".
The hotel was a Sheraton for many years until it closed its doors in 1974. They would remain closed for the next 30 years. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and continues to be listed as the Battle House Royale, because the vacant building had that name when it was listed in 1975. By 1980 it was the only building left completely intact in its city block. In 2003, Retirement Systems of Alabama
Retirement Systems of Alabama
Retirement Systems of Alabama is the administrator of the pension fund for employees of the state of Alabama. It is headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. David G. Bronner is the chief executive officer....
began restoration of the hotel, along with the construction of an adjoining skyscraper, the RSA Battle House Tower
RSA Battle House Tower
The RSA Battle House Tower is located in Mobile, Alabama and is Alabama's tallest building. The building is owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama . It is the tallest on the Gulf Coast of the United States outside of Houston. It replaces the Wells Fargo Tower in Birmingham as the tallest...
. Both projects were completed in 2007.
Description
The eight-story building is steel frame with marble and brick facings. At street level it features a projecting one-story portico with paired TuscanTuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
columns; the level above the portico has recessed Tuscan loggias with individual window balustrades. A wide third-story molded entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
is surmounted by cast iron balconies. The window openings over the entire facade have articulated keystones and the openings on the seventh level also feature cast iron balconies. The roof level features a molded projecting cornice with scroll brackets.
The hotel lobby features a domed skylight, dating back to 1908. The ceiling and walls feature elaborate plasterwork and are also painted using the trompe-l'œil technique. The walls are painted with portraits of Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, Ferdinand V of Castile
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
, and George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
.
The Trellis Room, located on the lobby floor, currently houses a restaurant with a four-diamond rating
Restaurant rating
Restaurant ratings identify restaurants according to their quality, using various notations such as stars or other symbols, or numbers. Stars are a familiar and popular symbol, with ratings of one to four or five stars commonly used. Ratings appear in guidebooks as well as in the media, typically...
. The restaurant delivers a Northern Italian
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
cuisine. The restaurant seats 90 and features a full-view kitchen so patrons can watch the chefs prepare their meals. The Trellis Room ceiling is barrel vaulted with a Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1933 at the Tiffany Studios, by Louis Comfort Tiffany....
skylight.
The lobby floor also hosts the Crystal Ballroom, which is known as "Mobile's First Harvest". At one time it was the hotel's restaurant. The room has been restored to vintage colors, as it was in 1908. It features ornate plasterwork with an agricultural theme. The Battle House was a favorite place for southern planters
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
to get away once their crops were planted. The Crystal Ballroom is now used for social events such as weddings, meetings, and Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
balls. The first Mardi Gras ball to be held at the Battle House was The Strikers Ball in 1852. At that time the balls were part of the New Year celebration.