This Hotel Once Housed a President Before it Was Nearly Leveled to Build a Parking Lot. Now It's Thriving Again

This Hotel Once Housed a President Before it Was Nearly Leveled to Build a Parking Lot. Now It's Thriving Again https://ift.tt/TRnZthC

The Capital Hotel first opened in January 1877 and continues to be known as "the front porch of Little Rock"

The Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Ark.
Credit: JohnBlottman / Alamy Stock Photo

NEED TO KNOW

• Little Rock, Ark.'s Capital Hotel, which opened in 1877, was nearly demolished before being saved
• The hotel has hosted notable figures like President Ulysses S. Grant and features a blend of historic and modern design
• Now nearing its 150th anniversary, the property remains a cherished landmark with deep ties to the local community

A Southern landmark, once set to be demolished, is preparing to celebrate a historic milestone.

Little Rock, Ark.’s Capital Hotel continues to thrive as it nears its 150th birthday, but a look at the property’s storied past reveals that wasn’t always the case.

Often referred to as “the front porch of Little Rock,” the Capital Hotel’s origins date back to the late 1870s when a nearby hotel suffered a devastating fire, Micah Vargas, marketing coordinator for the hotel, tells Southern Living. In 1876, plans to convert the “Denckla Block” mixed commercial complex were set in motion and the renovated hotel first opened to the public in January 1877. 

The initial design included some of the finest amenities of the time, including gas lighting and indoor plumbing, according to the Historic Hotels of America. It quickly garnered rave reviews and praise from visitors far and wide. 

The interior of the Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Ark.
Credit: Jon Arnold Images Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Over the years, the hotel even hosted prominent political figures including President Ulysses S. Grant. A local legend even says that the property’s unusually large elevator was constructed in order to take his horse up to his suite. 

However, in the mid-20th century, Little Rock’s entire downtown area faced economic hardship, including the Capital Hotel. 

The Capital Hotel circa 1949
Credit: piemags/LCB / Alamy Stock Photo

“They were actually going to tear down the Capital Hotel. It was dilapidated, a place of ill-repute, to put it mildly,” Steven B. Weintz, author of A Capital Idea — An Illustrated History of the Capital Hotel tells Southern Living. “This was during a time when you tear stuff down in the name of urban renewal.” At one point, it was nearly leveled to build a parking lot, per the outlet.

However, a group of citizens came together alongside architect Ed Cromwell to save the building. In 1974, the group was able to add the Capital Hotel to the National Register of Historic Places. In three years, restoration efforts were completed on the Victorian cast-iron facade, mosaic tile floors and the iconic stained glass skylight found in the lobby. The hotel reopened on Christmas day in 1983 before it was on the verge of bankruptcy once again. 

Southern Living reports oilman and banker Jackson T. Stephens stepped up as investor-owner and was succeeded by his son Ambassador Warren Stephens and his wife, Harriet. The couple later closed and renovated the hotel in 2005 and continue to keep it in operation today. 

“The hotel has gone through so many evolutions and expansions, but it has kept its character,” Weintz says. “It’s a modern hotel, but all the historic preservation elements have been kept intact.”

The exterior of the Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Ark.
Credit: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty

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Today, the hotel boasts 94 guest rooms and suites, two restaurants, stained glass windows, sparkling chandeliers and the original cast-iron facade. The website calls it a “unique blend of historical charm and modern comfort.” 

“Everybody in Little Rock has a Capital Hotel story,” Vargas says. “So many people that I’ve met, their parents got married here or they spent their honeymoon here — everyone has a personal link to this place.”