Washington Hall was a historic

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. Built in 1846, the building was one of the earliest hotels built in the city. The hotel, along with many other structures in the city, was destroyed in 1864 during the

Battle of Atlanta The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Un ...

History

Washington Hall was constructed by James Loyd in late 1846 at the intersection of Loyd Street (later Central Avenue) and the

Georgia Railroad Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

line in

downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The larger of the city's two other commercial districts ( Midtown and Buckhead), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county ...

. Loyd had purchased the site in 1844. The building was one of the Atlanta's earliest hotels. The Atlanta Hotel was constructed earlier in 1846 and the Trout House followed in 1849. Loyd operated the hotel for almost a year before leasing the building to H. C. Holcombe and Zachariah A. Rice in October 1847. Two years later, after their lease had expired and Rice had departed for the California gold fields, Loyd again managed the hotel for several years before selling the property. The hotel was a two-story tall brick and wood building. It was described as being of "uncertain architecture" due to the constant renovations and expansions it underwent shortly after its construction to accommodate the rapid growth of Atlanta preceding the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. According to multiple sources, the Atlanta Hotel was the more upscale of the two buildings. Like many of the buildings in Atlanta at the time, the hotel was destroyed during

General Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

burning of Atlanta The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Uni ...

, wherein a scorched earth policy was employed; the Atlanta Hotel also suffered the same fate. When Atlanta was rebuilt after the war, another famous Atlanta hotel, Markham House, replaced Washington Hall in 1875. Like Washington Hall, Markham House would also be destroyed by fire, as it burned down in 1896.

References

{{coord missing, Atlanta Demolished hotels in Atlanta Railway hotels in the United States Hotel buildings completed in 1846 Burned hotels in the United States 1846 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures demolished in 1864

History

See also

References