Mentone Springs Hotel | |
 The Mentone Springs Hotel stood in Mentone, Alabama for 130 years. | |
   | |
| Location | Mentone, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°34′46″N 85°35′25″W / 34.579444°N 85.590278°W |
| Built | 1884–87 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 83003445[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 20, 1983 |
The Mentone Springs Hotel was a hotel in Mentone, Alabama. It was the last remaining large-scale resort hotel in Alabama from the late 19th century. The hotel burned to the ground after an electrical fire on March 1, 2014.[2]
History
The hotel was built from 1884 to 1887 by J. Frank Caldwell, a physician from Pennsylvania who had vacationed in the area. On the property are two springs, Mineral Springs and Beauty Springs.[3] The hotel and town were named after the French resort town of Menton. The area gained in popularity among tourists in the 1890s, due largely to the cooler temperatures and scenery of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. In 1915 the hotel was renovated and an annex built, adding 27 rooms. Through the Great Depression to the 1970s, the hotel went into decline, saddled with debt and bouncing between owners. It ceased operating in 1950 and was later converted to a private residence and organ repair shop.[4] The hotel reopened in 2001, and underwent an extensive restoration in 2010–11. An antique store occupied the 1915 annex.[3]
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ Berry, Lucy (March 2, 2014). "Owners, residents mourn 130-year-old Mentone Springs Hotel, antique mall lost in massive fire". The Huntsville Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ a b Kazek, Kelly (January 23, 2013). "Mentone Springs Hotel on Lookout Mountain billed as oldest in the state". The Huntsville Times. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ Padgett, Ray; Sandra Padgett; Ellen Mertins (September 15, 1983). "Mentone Springs Hotel". National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form. National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014. See also: "Accompanying photos". Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
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This page was last edited on 8 August 2023, at 00:50