WASHINGTON, DC—Historic Hotels of America has welcomed 24 historic hotels into membership in 2014. Hotels nominated and accepted into the Historic Hotels of America program range in age from 51 to 389 years old.
These new additions represent historic hotels from 14 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The oldest new member hotel dates to 1625. Six of the hotels were adapted from a previous use, including a former bank and courthouse. Of the 24 new members, five have reported hauntings from friendly ghosts.
Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest historic hotels. To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historic significance.
Historic hotels inducted into Historic Hotels of America members in 2014 include:
• Le Méridien Tampa (1905), Tampa, FL: Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, converted to a hotel from century-old federal courthouse
• Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, Honolulu (1961), Waikiki Beach, HI
• The Drake Hotel (1920), Chicago: Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
• Hilton Chicago (1927), Chicago
• Hilton Orrington/Evanston (1927), Evanston, IL
• Seelbach Hilton (1905), Louisville, KY: Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
• Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center (1927), Baton Rouge, LA
• Hilton New Orleans/St. Charles Avenue (1926), New Orleans
• Southern Hotel (1907), Covington, LA: Converted from the Grand Lodge of Louisiana’s Masonic Temple
• The Westin Portland Harborview (1927), Portland, ME
• Hilton Boston Downtown/Faneuil Hall (1928), Boston: Converted from Boston’s first Art Deco skyscraper office building
• Hilton President Kansas City (1926), Kansas City, MO
• Hilton St. Louis Downtown at the Arch (1888), St. Louis: Converted from former Merchant Laclède National Bank and office building.
• Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza (1625), Santa Fe, NM: Converted from 300-year-old hacienda
• Hilton Manhattan East (1931), New York
• Chateau at the Oregon Caves National Monument (1935), Cave Junction, OR: Designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark
• Abraham Lincoln Reading Hotel (1930), Reading, PA
• Caribe Hilton San Juan (1949), San Juan, Puerto Rico
• The Condado Plaza Hilton (1963), San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Condado Vanderbilt Hotel (1919), San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Hilton Fort Worth (1921), Fort Worth, TX
• Airlie (1892) Warrenton, VA: Converted from picturesque farm
• Capital Hilton (1943), Washington, DC
• The Edgewater (1948), Madison, WI
“Historic Hotels of America is pleased to honor these noteworthy and iconic historic hotels,” said Lawrence Horwitz, executive director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “From Puerto Rico to Hawaii, each hotel represents a unique aspect of the heritage, history and culture of the United States of America, including one from more than 150 years prior to 1776.”
He added, “Several hotels are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and one hotel that has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark. We are delighted to welcome adaptive reuse historic hotels that previously were built as unique buildings ranging from a hacienda to a public courthouse.”