Jefferson Hotel - Richmond

The Jefferson Hotel is located on West Franklin Street in Richmond, Virginia.  It was built for millionaire tobacco merchant Lewis Ginter by the architectural team of Carrere and Hastings.  The Hotel opened on October 31, 1895, with 342 guest rooms on five floors and 200 employees to cater to the visitor's needs.  It was considered a high water mark for elegance and beauty, with telephones, running water, fireplaces, electric lighting and steam heat.  The hotel also boasted Turkish baths and an alligator pool in the palm court, presided over by a statue of Thomas Jefferson.  On March 29, 1901 the hotel suffered serious damage in a fire, and was forced to close until March of 1902, when half of the hotel, undamaged by fire, was reopened.  In May of 1907, after several years of refurbishment and renovation, the hotel formally reopened.  During the 1960's and 1970's the hotel fell into a marked decline, suffering from economic concerns, and closed in 1980.  The hotel was eventually restored under new ownership and reopened in 1986.  Over the years the Jefferson has seen several notable people enter through its doors, including Theodore Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller, actor David Niven, author Thomas Wolfe and, twice during 1956, Elvis Presley.  Bill Bojangles Robinson performed here, and Margaret Mitchell is said to have been so inspired by the grand staircase in the rotunda that she used it in the novel she was writing at the time, Gone With The Wind.  Shortly after the hotel closed its doors in 1980 director Louis Malle came here with his cast and crew and for two weeks shot his film My Dinner With Andre in the abandoned restaurant.  The Jefferson Hotel was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1968 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.         

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