Hotel Richmond
Encyclopedia
Once a leading hotel in downtown Richmond, Virginia
, the Hotel Richmond overlooks the Thomas Jefferson
designed State Capitol
in Capitol Square. One of the rare gilded-age hotels built by a woman entrepreneur, the Hotel Richmond is now owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia, which uses it as its Ninth Street Office Building.
and second by John Kevan Peebles, the latter architect of the wings of Virginia's State Capitol on Capitol Square. It sits across Grace Street from St. Paul's Church, and next to St. Peter's Church
. It sits on the site of the St. Clare Hotel, which was demolished for the new hotel.
Mrs. Atkinson ran the Lexington Hotel at 13th and Main Streets. Atkinson, a Lexington native, came to Richmond with her husband. On his death, she took over the business. By all accounts she was a feisty woman, making sure that hotels were taxed fairly, instead of favoring the Jefferson Hotel
. If not, she threatened to locate in another city where “taxes were not so high.” At the time, the Richmond Times-Dispatch
called her the “personification of energy, industry and luck. Her business hours are from sunrise to sunrise” and is “tireless as a swallow on the wing.”
Her energy got her into trouble as she bucked the city establishment. The Times-Dispatch on April 26, 1903 said that during her attempt to build the Hotel Richmond, she threatened to leave the city if she was not taxed at a more equitable rate for her Lexington as compared to the Murphy Hotel and the Jefferson Hotel. Indeed she would not build the Hotel Richmond until she felt she was taxed at a rate more fair rate. She told the papers that: “I feel that I am being discriminated against because I am a woman, but if I am not wanted here, I can easily go somewhere else.” The Richmond News Leader
reported April 29, 1903 that she was “fuming and fretting” because of a high license fee that was to be placed on the hotel. Her issues with the city were not all about being a woman: she also stridently defended her use of “colored
” men to do some of the excavation work.
The May 9, 1903 demolition that preceded the building of the Hotel Richmond was newsworthy. A neighboring house, home of the Catholic
bishop, was damaged just as the demolition of the old hotel began. Miraculously, A picture of the Christ child survived “alone and uninjured” when the demolition of the St. Clare accidentally went awry.
Further additions were made by John Kevan Peebles, architect of the wings of the State Capitol, and were done in preparation for the 1907 300th anniversary of the founding of Virginia; obviously, the two were meant to be part of a whole look for Capitol Square
.
On its construction it became one of many distinguished hotels in downtown Richmond that operated in the early part of the 20th Century including the Jefferson Hotel
, Hotel Rueger, Murphy's Hotel, Hotel John Marshall and Hotel William Byrd.
The hotel's mezzanine
housed WRVA, Richmond's pioneering AM
50,000 watt radio station. The hotels were the center of social life in downtown Richmond for most of their history. The Hotel Richmond’s mezzanine was the headquarters of WRVA Radio, which was known throughout the Eastern U.S. for its pioneering radio broadcasts. In 1940, the station began airing the famed variety show Sunshine Sue and Her Rangers, which swept the eastern U.S. with its country music
. Other shows reflected a local twist, including Corn Cob Pipe Club and Capitol Squirrel. The shows that were born in the building were ubiquitous nationally and not just locally; for instance the Corn Cob show had hundreds of clubs in the U.S. and Canada
.
The hotel was the center of politics. Early in its life it was festooned with a Westmoreland Davis
for Governor banner, and sometime in the early 19th century, it became headquarters for the state’s Democratic party, with offices in the hotel’s historic Parlor A. From the ballroom in 1926, the first Harry Byrd took control of the state with his famed Byrd Machine. At his inauguration party on the hotel’s roof garden
, he addressed the state on WRVA. In 1933, Gov. William M. Tuck
set up an office in the bu, and it was there Harry Byrd took over the seat of his father. It was, according to historian Jim Latimer, the room with the best view of the State Capitol and Executive Mansion. From the room, the final five Byrd governors (Battle, Stanley, Lindsay Almond, Albertis Harrison and Mills Godwin) ran their successful campaigns, such was the room’s mystique. In the 1970s, the building was the site of the state’s tourism marketing efforts including the historic “Virginia Is For Lovers” campaign.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, the Hotel Richmond overlooks the Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
designed State Capitol
Virginia State Capitol
The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital of Virginia. It houses the oldest legislative body in the United States, the Virginia General Assembly...
in Capitol Square. One of the rare gilded-age hotels built by a woman entrepreneur, the Hotel Richmond is now owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia, which uses it as its Ninth Street Office Building.
History
The Hotel Richmond was built in 1904 by entrepreneuse Adeline Detroit Atkinson, with first phase by Harrison AlbrightHarrison Albright
Harrison Albright was an American architect best known for his innovative design of the West Baden Springs Hotel in Orange County, Indiana, which boasted the largest free-spanning dome in the world at the time of its construction.- Biography :Born in the Ogontz neighborhood of North Philadelphia,...
and second by John Kevan Peebles, the latter architect of the wings of Virginia's State Capitol on Capitol Square. It sits across Grace Street from St. Paul's Church, and next to St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church (Richmond, Virginia)
St. Peter's Church of Richmond, Virginia, located at 800 E. Grace St., is the oldest Catholic Church in Richmond. From the erecting of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond in 1850 until the completion of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in 1906, St. Peter's Church served as the cathedral and...
. It sits on the site of the St. Clare Hotel, which was demolished for the new hotel.
Mrs. Atkinson ran the Lexington Hotel at 13th and Main Streets. Atkinson, a Lexington native, came to Richmond with her husband. On his death, she took over the business. By all accounts she was a feisty woman, making sure that hotels were taxed fairly, instead of favoring the Jefferson Hotel
Jefferson Hotel
The Jefferson Hotel is a luxury hotel in Richmond, Virginia. It is one of 27 American hotels with Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Hotel ratings...
. If not, she threatened to locate in another city where “taxes were not so high.” At the time, the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond the capital of Virginia, United States, and is commonly considered the "newspaper of record" for events occurring in much of the state...
called her the “personification of energy, industry and luck. Her business hours are from sunrise to sunrise” and is “tireless as a swallow on the wing.”
Her energy got her into trouble as she bucked the city establishment. The Times-Dispatch on April 26, 1903 said that during her attempt to build the Hotel Richmond, she threatened to leave the city if she was not taxed at a more equitable rate for her Lexington as compared to the Murphy Hotel and the Jefferson Hotel. Indeed she would not build the Hotel Richmond until she felt she was taxed at a rate more fair rate. She told the papers that: “I feel that I am being discriminated against because I am a woman, but if I am not wanted here, I can easily go somewhere else.” The Richmond News Leader
The Richmond News Leader
The Richmond News Leader was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Richmond, Virginia from 1888 to 1992. During much of its run, it was the largest newspaper source in Richmond, competing with the morning Richmond Times-Dispatch. By the late 1960s, afternoon papers had been steadily losing...
reported April 29, 1903 that she was “fuming and fretting” because of a high license fee that was to be placed on the hotel. Her issues with the city were not all about being a woman: she also stridently defended her use of “colored
Colored
Colored is a term once widely used in the United States to describe black people and Native Americans...
” men to do some of the excavation work.
The May 9, 1903 demolition that preceded the building of the Hotel Richmond was newsworthy. A neighboring house, home of the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
bishop, was damaged just as the demolition of the old hotel began. Miraculously, A picture of the Christ child survived “alone and uninjured” when the demolition of the St. Clare accidentally went awry.
Further additions were made by John Kevan Peebles, architect of the wings of the State Capitol, and were done in preparation for the 1907 300th anniversary of the founding of Virginia; obviously, the two were meant to be part of a whole look for Capitol Square
Capitol Square
Capitol Square is a tall skyscraper in Columbus, Ohio. It was completed in 1984, has 26 floors, and of floor space. Abramovitz, Harris & Kingsland designed the building, which is the 13th tallest building in Columbus....
.
On its construction it became one of many distinguished hotels in downtown Richmond that operated in the early part of the 20th Century including the Jefferson Hotel
Jefferson Hotel
The Jefferson Hotel is a luxury hotel in Richmond, Virginia. It is one of 27 American hotels with Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Hotel ratings...
, Hotel Rueger, Murphy's Hotel, Hotel John Marshall and Hotel William Byrd.
Social History
As the largest hotel immediately adjacent to Richmond's Capitol Square, the hotel had a central place in the political history of the city. For decades, it was the home to the Byrd Machine. Today, it houses many of the leading secretariats of the Commonwealth of Virginia.The hotel's mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
housed WRVA, Richmond's pioneering AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
50,000 watt radio station. The hotels were the center of social life in downtown Richmond for most of their history. The Hotel Richmond’s mezzanine was the headquarters of WRVA Radio, which was known throughout the Eastern U.S. for its pioneering radio broadcasts. In 1940, the station began airing the famed variety show Sunshine Sue and Her Rangers, which swept the eastern U.S. with its country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. Other shows reflected a local twist, including Corn Cob Pipe Club and Capitol Squirrel. The shows that were born in the building were ubiquitous nationally and not just locally; for instance the Corn Cob show had hundreds of clubs in the U.S. and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The hotel was the center of politics. Early in its life it was festooned with a Westmoreland Davis
Westmoreland Davis
Westmoreland "Morley" Davis a lawyer, farmer, and the 48th Governor of Virginia from February 1, 1918 to February 1, 1922....
for Governor banner, and sometime in the early 19th century, it became headquarters for the state’s Democratic party, with offices in the hotel’s historic Parlor A. From the ballroom in 1926, the first Harry Byrd took control of the state with his famed Byrd Machine. At his inauguration party on the hotel’s roof garden
Roof garden
A roof garden is any garden on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, and recreational opportunities....
, he addressed the state on WRVA. In 1933, Gov. William M. Tuck
William M. Tuck
William Munford Tuck served as the 55th Governor of Virginia from 1946 to 1950 as a Democrat.He was the youngest son of Halifax County, Virginia tobacco warehouseman Robert James Tuck and Virginia Susan Fritts. Tuck graduated from the College of William and Mary, earning a teacher's certificate....
set up an office in the bu, and it was there Harry Byrd took over the seat of his father. It was, according to historian Jim Latimer, the room with the best view of the State Capitol and Executive Mansion. From the room, the final five Byrd governors (Battle, Stanley, Lindsay Almond, Albertis Harrison and Mills Godwin) ran their successful campaigns, such was the room’s mystique. In the 1970s, the building was the site of the state’s tourism marketing efforts including the historic “Virginia Is For Lovers” campaign.