The Marshall Grand (Formerly Hotel Marshall) is the tallest building though not the tallest structure in
Marshall, the seat of
Harrison County,
Texas. The building was constructed about 1929 and is noted for its
art-deco elements. In actuality it draws from several styles that were popular at the time. The hotel was originally called "The Marshall" and was one of three (The Kaufman in
Kaufman
Kaufman or Kauffman may refer to:
People
*Kaufmann (surname) ''Includes Kaufman, Kauffman, Kauffmann''
Places
* Kaufman, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Madison Count
* Kaufman, Texas, a city in Kaufman County
* Kaufman County, Texas, ...
and The Gibraltar in
Paris) of the
Pethybridge Hotel Co. ventures in
East Texas.
History
On March 8, 1929 the property that Hotel Marshall now stands on was sold for $30,461.30 to S.B. (Sam) Perkins. Construction of the building was pushed to be completed by the annual Regional
Rotary Club
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...
convention. Bobby Manziel, a
Tyler, Texas, oil man, bought the Hotel Marshall on July 28, 1956. He renamed the hotel after himself and unexpectedly died a year later. Mrs. Manziel sold the hotel to Earl Hollandsworth for $225,000 in 1957.
Hollandsworth planned a major renovation for the hotel in the 1950s. He put up $125,000 to help finance it. The Chamber of Commerce raised $100,000 and local citizens gave another $100,000. The local businessmen made a deal with
Hollandsworth to loan $250,000 to finance the remodeling. The building between the Hotel Marshall and the Capitol Hotel was torn down. A
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
and patio were put in its place.
The hotel was one of the major attractions in East Texas in the mid 20th century; complete with an elaborate
red carpet,
bellhop
A bellhop (North America), or hotel porter (carrier), porter (international), is a hotel employee who helps patrons with their luggage while check-in, checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform (see bell-boy hat), like certain other Page (a ...
s,
valets, and a
shoeshine stand in the basement. The building was the center of the city's social scene during the late 1940s. The
Rotarians
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...
,
Kiwanis, and
Lions Club met there every week with the day of the meeting on a rotating schedule. Many of the
African American performers who entertained them were forced to ride the
freight elevator rather than the main elevator to the Roof Garden. The patio was the site of many
fashion shows. The
Marshall Club is, perhaps, the greatest example of this period of the building’s history. The Marshall Club was a private social club for some of Marshall’s most affluent families. The members of the club had a special part of the hotel designated for them: the
mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian language, Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft ...
. A
Christmas party was held every year as well as two to three other parties throughout the year. The most common activity,
bingo, was played every week. The members financed the club themselves, allowing it to be extremely elegant.
While the 1958
remodeling
Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...
elevated some of Hotel Marshall's luster it also created problems. In earlier times the hotel had two stoves, one for the Roof Garden and one reserved for room service. Hollandsworth
removed one of them and replaced it with a hot plate in the newly created coffee shop. This increased pressure on the kitchen to get food out fast to both guests and shop customers. Two elevators would have been perfectly adequate if one had not been used as a freight elevator. On nights when there were events hosted in the hotel, the
lobby
Lobby may refer to:
* Lobby (room), an entranceway or foyer in a building
* Lobbying, the action or the group used to influence a viewpoint to politicians
:* Lobbying in the United States, specific to the United States
* Lobby (food), a thick stew ...
could get very congested.
Another problem was that the remodeling placed the
thermostat
A thermostat is a regulating device component which senses the temperature of a physical system and performs actions so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint.
Thermostats are used in any device or system tha ...
s in the halls
instead of the rooms. With the opening of motels in Marshall, Hotel
Marshall’s dominance began to buckle. Businessmen began to complain
about no return on their investments in the hotel. Management was changed
almost monthly, hampering the clockwork precision a hotel should have. The
social center began to drift away as the rich and middle-class families
abandoned the city center for
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
s such as Jasper Heights and Bel Air. The coffee shop's hours were reduced and the Roof Garden was closed. Businessmen began to suggest
motels over the Hotel Marshall, due to the chaotic conditions of its management. This final blow forced the hotel to close its doors.
East Texas Baptist University
East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) is a private Baptist university in Marshall, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention).
History
ETBU is located on the site of the former Van Zandt Fa ...
purchased the hotel in 1973. It was to
be used as a
dormitory
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
for boys, until the completion of a new dormitory. With the new dormitory completed the Hotel Marshall was once again abandoned. Through change in various ownerships and restoration ideas and projects 1980s and 1990s, none materialized. By 2000 the letters of the Hotel Marshall sign were deteriorating and toppling down onto the roof. The north face's seventh floor
balcony and second floor balcony’s light posts had been removed, the windows were busted out, and the Roof Garden had been stripped of its mural. Jerry Cargill and Richard and Christina Anderson purchased the building and have begun renovating the hotel with help from local investors and aid from the city commission. The entire building was gutted with the first floor restored converting the lobby into a reception area and restoring the coffee shop area into a restaurant which was leased to Stottford House. A new elevator system was installed and the second floor was converted to a condominium. Floors 3-8 remained construction ready.
In August 2013 Mr. and Mrs. Cargill gifted The Marshall Grand to East Texas Baptist University. On Friday, March 25, 2016 Stottford House closed due to change of building ownership. ETBU has plans of expanding its campus presence to downtown Marshall utilizing The Marshall Grand including adding a popular coffee shop. The first floor continues to be available for lease for social events.
Photo gallery
Image:Abandoned Hotel Marshall.jpg, Abandoned Hotel Marshall in 2002
Image:Abandoned Hotel Marshall 1.jpg, Abandoned Hotel Marshall renovations in 2004
Image:Abandoned Hotel Marshall East.jpg, Abandoned Hotel Marshall in 2002
Image:Abandoned Hotel Marshall Sign.jpg, Sign on top of the abandoned Hotel Marshall in 2004
Image:Hotel Marshall-renovation.JPG, Renovation in 2005
Image:Inside the abandoned Hotel Marshall.JPG, Lobby of the abandoned Hotel Marshall in 2004
Image:Inside The Marshall Grand (Former Hotel Marshall).jpg, Lobby of The Marshall Grand in 2011
Image:Looking southeast on Whetstone Square.jpg, Renovation in 2005
External links
{{commonscat-inline
The Marshall Grand official website*[https://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/blogs/reader/entries/2015/mar/26/a-grand-sound-expected-friday-at-the-marshall-grand/ A Grand Sound Expected Friday at The Marshall Grand by Marshall News Messenger]
Stottford House closing after 26 years of business in Marshall
Art Deco architecture in Texas
Buildings and structures in Marshall, Texas
East Texas Baptist University
Hotel buildings completed in 1929