The Murphy Hotel (or Murphy's Hotel) was once a leading hotel in downtown

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. Its location was at the corner of 8th and Broad Streets and for the last decade was known as the Commonwealth of Virginia's Eighth Street Office Building. The building shared a block with the Hotel Richmond, also known as the state's Ninth Street office building, and St. Peter's Church. It was

deconstructed Deconstruction is a philosophical theory. Deconstruction or Deconstructed may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Deconstructed'' (Bush album), a 1997 compilation album * ''Deconstructed'' (EP), an EP by Kesha * ''Deconstructed'' (Steve Swallow a ...

in late 2007 to give way to a modern high-rise that will house offices for the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

History

The original hotel was built in 1872 by John Murphy, an Irish immigrant, and former Confederate soldier. He renovated his oyster shack by opening multiple rooms above it, giving birth to the Murphy Hotel. In 1886, all new buildings and an elevated walkway over 8th Street were completed. An annex would eventually be built across 8th street in 1902 with another being built in 1907 between Broad and Grace Streets. Murphy would completely demolish the hotel in 1913 and would hire local architect John Kevan Peebles to replace it with a larger 11-story building, with the project being a success. After John Murphy died in 1918, his son-in-law, James T. Disney, would run the hotel until his eventual death in 1933. The Board of Directors of The Richmond Hotels, Inc. would take hold of the Murphy Hotel in 1939, changing its name to the King Carter Hotel in 1949. The hotel was later sold to the state, and in 1969 was converted into numerous offices. By the late 1990s, the hotel and the annex were in a highly deteriorated state. The hotel would be demolished in 2007 by the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

to make way for a modern high-rise that will serve as housing for offices of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

References

Photos of Murphy's Hotel & its demolition
History of Richmond, Virginia Hotels in Richmond, Virginia Skyscrapers in Richmond, Virginia Skyscraper hotels in Virginia Defunct hotels in Virginia Demolished hotels in the United States Buildings and structures demolished in 2007 Demolished buildings and structures in Virginia {{US-hotel-struct-stub