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The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY – which has since been renamed the Seelbach Hilton – was originally founded by Bavarian-born immigrant brothers Louis and Otto Seelbach. The [[hotel]] was envisioned by the Seelbach's to embody the old-world grandeur of European hotels in cities like [[Vienna]] and [[Paris]] – its building being designed with the [[French Renaissance]] in mind.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 18.</ref> Louis was already a restaurant owner in Louisville when his brother Otto joined him from [[Germany]] around 1890, forming the Seelbach Hotel Co.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 14-16.</ref> The Company began construction on the current Seelbach Hotel in 1903. This new hotel quickly rose to a place among the ranks of the finest hotels in the country, and as such, enjoyed the visits of many celebrities – notably F. Scott Fitzgerald, who based a hotel in his book The Great Gatsby on the Seelbach. Following a past of different [[buyout]]s and mergers, the hotel is now owned by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. The hotel continues to be a quintessential landmark of Louisville, with a history as varied as the city itself.
The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY – which has since been renamed the Seelbach Hilton – was originally founded by Bavarian-born immigrant brothers Louis and Otto Seelbach. The [[hotel]] was envisioned by the Seelbach's to embody the old-world grandeur of European hotels in cities like[[Vienna]] and [[Paris]] – its building being designed with the [[French Renaissance]] in mind.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 18.</ref> Louis was already a restaurant owner in Louisville when his brother Otto joined him from [[Germany]] around 1890, forming the Seelbach Hotel Co.<ref>Johnson,''The Seelbach'', 14-16.</ref> The Company began construction on the current Seelbach Hotel in 1903. This new hotel quickly rose to a place among the ranks of the finest hotels in the country, and as such, enjoyed the visits of many celebrities – notably F. Scott Fitzgerald, who based a hotel in his book The Great Gatsby on the Seelbach. Following a past of different [[buyout]]s and mergers, the hotel is now owned by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. The hotel continues to be a quintessential landmark of Louisville, with a history as varied as the city itself.


== History ==
== History ==
Line 33: Line 33:


==== Louisville's Grand Hotel ====
==== Louisville's Grand Hotel ====
On Opening Day, the Hotel hosted a Gala, throwing dinner parties in every room of the 150 sleeping-room hotel.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 17.</ref> The day was magnificent, bringing people together from all over the areas around the Eastern United States to toast to the new hotel's success. The hotel incorporated its goal of European charm and elegance, incorporating [[marble]] from [[Italy]], Germany, and [[France]], along with wood from the [[West Indies]] and Europe.<ref>Johnson, The Seelbach, 20.</ref> The dining rooms, cafe, parlors and the roof garden [[trellis]] were all brimming with people. The hotel attracted a great amount of people to its sophisticated rooms in the first 2 years of existence, leading to a need for expansion.
On Opening Day, the Hotel hosted a Gala, throwing dinner parties in every room of the 150 sleeping-room hotel.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 17.</ref> The day was magnificent, bringing people together from all over the areas around the Eastern United States to toast to the new hotel's success. The hotel incorporated its goal of European charm and elegance, incorporating [[marble]] from [[Italy]], Germany, and [[France]], along with wood from the [[West Indies]] and Europe.<ref>Johnson, The Seelbach, 20.</ref> The dining rooms, cafe, parlors and the roof garden [[trellis]]were all brimming with people. The hotel attracted a great amount of people to its sophisticated rooms in the first 2 years of existence, leading to a need for expansion.


=== Expansion ===
=== Expansion ===
Line 39: Line 39:


=== The Death of Louis and Sale of the Hotel ===
=== The Death of Louis and Sale of the Hotel ===
In 1925, Louis Seelbach died as President of the Seelbach Hotel Co, creating a need for new management.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 39-40.</ref> On April 1, 1926, a Chicago-based businessman named Abraham M. Liebling bought the hotel for an approximate amount of $2,500,000.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 40.</ref> This began a period throughout the history of the Seelbach of frequent sales of the property.
In 1925, Louis Seelbach died as President of the Seelbach Hotel Co, creating a need for new management.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 39-40.</ref>On April 1, 1926, a Chicago-based businessman named Abraham M. Liebling bought the hotel for an approximate amount of $2,500,000.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 40.</ref> This began a period throughout the history of the Seelbach of frequent sales of the property.


[[File:Seelbach Hotel.jpg|left|thumb|200px|The Hotel after re-opening, 1979.]]
[[File:Seelbach Hotel.jpg|left|thumb|200px|The Hotel after re-opening, 1979.]]
=== Changing of Hands ===
=== Changing of Hands ===
Between 1929 and 1956, The Seelbach changed hands many times, beginning with Mr. Liebling of Chicago in 1926. In 1929, the hotel was sold to the [[Eppley Hotel Company]] for $2,000,000.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 50.</ref> Mr. Eppley of [[Omaha, Nebraska]] owned many hotels throughout the Midwest, but eventually sold The Seelbach Hotel, and all of his other properties, in 1966 to the Sheraton Hotel Corporation (now [[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts]]) as part of a $30,000,000 deal – making The Seelbach part of the second largest hotel sale in all of US History.<ref>"Closing the gap", 04 June 1956.</ref>
Between 1929 and 1956, The Seelbach changed hands many times, beginning with Mr. Liebling of Chicago in 1926. In 1929, the hotel was sold to the[[Eppley Hotel Company]] for $2,000,000.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 50.</ref> Mr. Eppley of [[Omaha, Nebraska]] owned many hotels throughout the Midwest, but eventually sold The Seelbach Hotel, and all of his other properties, in 1966 to the Sheraton Hotel Corporation (now [[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts]]) as part of a $30,000,000 deal – making The Seelbach part of the second largest hotel sale in all of US History.<ref>"Closing the gap", 04 June 1956.</ref>


=== Closure, Roger Davis, and the Re-Opening ===
=== Closure, Roger Davis, and the Re-Opening ===
Line 59: Line 59:
Quite a number of US Presidents have chosen to spend time at the Hotel while in Louisville, including: [[William Howard Taft]] (1911), [[Woodrow Wilson]] (1916), [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] (1938), [[Harry Truman]] (1948), [[John F. Kennedy]] (1962), [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] (1964), [[Jimmy Carter]] (1970s), [[Bill Clinton]] (1998), and [[George W. Bush]] (2002).<ref>Johnson, The Seelbach, 85, 88, 94.</ref>
Quite a number of US Presidents have chosen to spend time at the Hotel while in Louisville, including: [[William Howard Taft]] (1911), [[Woodrow Wilson]] (1916), [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] (1938), [[Harry Truman]] (1948), [[John F. Kennedy]] (1962), [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] (1964), [[Jimmy Carter]] (1970s), [[Bill Clinton]] (1998), and [[George W. Bush]] (2002).<ref>Johnson, The Seelbach, 85, 88, 94.</ref>
==== Gangsters ====
==== Gangsters ====
[[Lucky Luciano]], [[Dutch Schultz]], and [[Al Capone]] – who was a frequent guest of The Seelbach – all stayed within the hotels walls, often for secret poker games. One story from the 1920s involves Al Capone sneaking out of the hotel through a series of secret stairways and tunnels when [[Louisville Police Department|Louisville Police]] broke up one of the games.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 82-83.</ref>
[[Lucky Luciano]], [[Dutch Schultz]], and [[Al Capone]] – who was a frequent guest of The Seelbach – all stayed within the hotels walls, often for secret poker games. One story from the 1920s involves Al Capone sneaking out of the hotel through a series of secret stairways and tunnels when[[Louisville Police Department|Louisville Police]] broke up one of the games.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 82-83.</ref>
[[File:Gatsby 1925 jacket.gif|right|thumb|200px|The Great Gatsby, first published in 1925.]]
[[File:Gatsby 1925 jacket.gif|right|thumb|200px|The Great Gatsby, first published in 1925.]]
==== Other Famous People ====
==== Other Famous People ====
[[Whitney Houston]], [[Elvis Presley]], [[Robin Williams]], [[Russel Crowe]], [[Julia Child]], [[Wolfgang Puck]], and many others have graced Louisville's Grand Hotel with their presence over the years.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 92.</ref>
[[Whitney Houston]], [[Elvis Presley]], [[Robin Williams]], [[Russel Crowe]], [[Julia Child]], [[Wolfgang Puck]], and many others have graced Louisville's Grand Hotel with their presence over the years.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 92.</ref>
==== One of America's favorite authors ====
==== One of America's favorite authors ====
[[F. Scott Fitzgerald]] frequented the hotel in April 1918, while training for his deployment in [[World War I]], until one night after expensive [[Bourbon whiskey|bourban]] and cigars, he had to be restrained and kicked out of the Hotel.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 36.</ref> This experience didn't tarnish his memories of the Hotel however, as he eventually incorporated The Seelbach as the setting for the wedding of Tom and Daisy Buchanan in [[The Great Gatsby]] – or at least a derivative thereof.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 37.</ref>
[[F. Scott Fitzgerald]] frequented the hotel in April 1918, while training for his deployment in [[World War I]], until one night after expensive[[Bourbon whiskey|bourban]] and cigars, he had to be restrained and kicked out of the Hotel.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 36.</ref> This experience didn't tarnish his memories of the Hotel however, as he eventually incorporated The Seelbach as the setting for the wedding of Tom and Daisy Buchanan in [[The Great Gatsby]] – or at least a derivative thereof.<ref>Johnson, ''The Seelbach'', 37.</ref>


== The Hotel ==
== The Hotel ==
Line 81: Line 81:
*Johnson, Larry. ''The Seelbach: A Centennial Salute to Louisville's Grand Hotel''. Louisville: Butler Books, 2005. ISBN 1-884532-65-9.
*Johnson, Larry. ''The Seelbach: A Centennial Salute to Louisville's Grand Hotel''. Louisville: Butler Books, 2005. ISBN 1-884532-65-9.
*[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,866996,00.html "Closing the gap,"] ''[[Time magazine]]'' June 4, 1956.
*[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,866996,00.html "Closing the gap,"] ''[[Time magazine]]'' June 4, 1956.
*{{cite journal|title=Seelbach finishes $12 million restoration; Historic lady is elegant again|journal=Courier-Journal|date=13 |year=2009|month=March|pages=News B.1}}
*{{cite journal|title=Seelbach finishes $12 million restoration; Historic lady is elegant again|journal=Courier-Journal|date=13|year=2009|month=March|pages=News B.1}}
*{{cite web|title=MeriStar Hospitality Corp.|url=http://projects.washingtonpost.com/post200/2006/MHX/|publisher=The Washington Post}}
*{{cite web|title=MeriStar Hospitality Corp.|url=http://projects.washingtonpost.com/post200/2006/MHX/|publisher=The Washington Post}}
*{{cite web|title=AAA Newsroom – Diamond Award Winning Lodgings & Restaurants|url=http://www.aaanewsroom.net/main/default.asp?categoryid=9&subcategoryid=22|publisher=AAA}}
*{{cite web|title=AAA Newsroom – Diamond Award Winning Lodgings & Restaurants|url=http://www.aaanewsroom.net/main/default.asp?categoryid=9&subcategoryid=22|publisher=AAA}}
Line 90: Line 90:
* [http://www.seelbachhilton.com/ Seelbach Hilton]
* [http://www.seelbachhilton.com/ Seelbach Hilton]
* [http://www.aaanewsroom.net/main/default.asp?categoryid=9&subcategoryid=22 AAA Diamond Award-Winning Lodgings & Restaurants]
* [http://www.aaanewsroom.net/main/default.asp?categoryid=9&subcategoryid=22 AAA Diamond Award-Winning Lodgings & Restaurants]

{{Louisville-stub}}

Revision as of 19:39, 29 October 2010

Seelbach Hotel
The Seelbach Hilton Hotel on 4th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard.
Map
General information
Location500 South 4th Street, Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40202
OpeningMay, 1905
OwnerHilton Hotels & Resorts
Website
Seelbach Hilton

The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY – which has since been renamed the Seelbach Hilton – was originally founded by Bavarian-born immigrant brothers Louis and Otto Seelbach. The hotel was envisioned by the Seelbach's to embody the old-world grandeur of European hotels in cities likeVienna and Paris – its building being designed with the French Renaissance in mind.[1] Louis was already a restaurant owner in Louisville when his brother Otto joined him from Germany around 1890, forming the Seelbach Hotel Co.[2] The Company began construction on the current Seelbach Hotel in 1903. This new hotel quickly rose to a place among the ranks of the finest hotels in the country, and as such, enjoyed the visits of many celebrities – notably F. Scott Fitzgerald, who based a hotel in his book The Great Gatsby on the Seelbach. Following a past of different buyouts and mergers, the hotel is now owned by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. The hotel continues to be a quintessential landmark of Louisville, with a history as varied as the city itself.

History

Louis Seelbach and his brother Otto came from a family in a small town in Bavaria, largest of the states of Germany. Originally emigrating from Germany in the year 1869 at age 17, Louis Seelbach arrived in Louisville shortly after coming to the United States.[3] When he arrived, he worked for the original Galt House. After turning 22 in 1874 however, he realized that his ambitions lay beyond that job, and he opened the Seelbach Bar & Grill in the same year. The Seelbach Bar & Grill quickly became a great success in Louisville. When coupled with the quickly growing Louisville population and economy, the success of the restaurant allowed Louis Seelbach to bring his brother Otto over from Frankenthal, Germany to help him open the first Seelbach Hotel in 1891; which was located above the Seelbach Bar & Grill on 6th and Main.[4]

Louis and Otto Seelbach's Vision

The brothers had bigger plans for their operation than just an small hotel above their bar & grill. They were intent on building Louisville's first Grand Hotel, a hotel worthy of the opulence that was omnipresent in hotels in Europe. The Seelbach's purchased a piece of property on the corner of 4th and Walnut (now Muhammad Ali Blvd) Streets, broke ground in December, 1903, and opened the doors on May 1, 1905 in time for Kentucky Derby.[5] On the opening day, there were over 25,000 people that came through the front doors.[6]

Louisville's Grand Hotel

On Opening Day, the Hotel hosted a Gala, throwing dinner parties in every room of the 150 sleeping-room hotel.[7] The day was magnificent, bringing people together from all over the areas around the Eastern United States to toast to the new hotel's success. The hotel incorporated its goal of European charm and elegance, incorporating marble from Italy, Germany, and France, along with wood from the West Indies and Europe.[8] The dining rooms, cafe, parlors and the roof garden trelliswere all brimming with people. The hotel attracted a great amount of people to its sophisticated rooms in the first 2 years of existence, leading to a need for expansion.

Expansion

The Seelbach Realty Company (formed in 1902 with the help of investors before the property purchase) was growing along with the city, and wheels had been put in motion from the original opening to expand the hotel's size. On January 1, 1907, the second phase of the hotel was completed, making the quaint 150-room hotel a 500-room bastion of turn-of-the-century tasteful refinement.[9] The lower two floors of the ten-story structure were constructed with stone, while the upper floors were brick. The rooftop garden was also enclosed to make it a winter garden as well.[10] This new and improved Seelbach, already in the center of much of the social life in Louisville, led the Hotel to regularly host guests of the Kentucky Derby and see the likes of notable people throughout its first 70 years.

The Death of Louis and Sale of the Hotel

In 1925, Louis Seelbach died as President of the Seelbach Hotel Co, creating a need for new management.[11]On April 1, 1926, a Chicago-based businessman named Abraham M. Liebling bought the hotel for an approximate amount of $2,500,000.[12] This began a period throughout the history of the Seelbach of frequent sales of the property.

The Hotel after re-opening, 1979.

Changing of Hands

Between 1929 and 1956, The Seelbach changed hands many times, beginning with Mr. Liebling of Chicago in 1926. In 1929, the hotel was sold to theEppley Hotel Company for $2,000,000.[13] Mr. Eppley of Omaha, Nebraska owned many hotels throughout the Midwest, but eventually sold The Seelbach Hotel, and all of his other properties, in 1966 to the Sheraton Hotel Corporation (now Sheraton Hotels and Resorts) as part of a $30,000,000 deal – making The Seelbach part of the second largest hotel sale in all of US History.[14]

Closure, Roger Davis, and the Re-Opening

In 1975, the past vibrancy of Louisville was quickly fading, and the hotel was forced to close after its owners went bankrupt.[15] A Louisville native, Roger Davis, who was also a TV actor in Hollywood, decided to step in in December, 1978, and restore The Seelbach to its former glory. The work began in early 1979 and continued until it re-opened on April 12, 1982.[16]

Resurgence in Modern Times

The hotel returned to its position as a landmark hotel in downtown Louisville shortly after re-opening in 1982. The Hotel has remained at the pinnacle of luxury hotels in downtown Louisville to this day. The Hotel has placed renewed emphasis on keeping up with the times, finishing its most recent $12 million renovation in 2009. [17] The Hotel was bought and sold by a number of corporations hands after its reawakening. The Hotel is currently managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, under the Hilton Hotels and Resorts flag. Hilton is a subsidiary of The Blackstone Group – it is the parent company of Hilton Worldwide – which bought out MeriStar Hospitality Corp, one of the former owners of The Seelbach, in 2005.[18]

Impact on Louisville

The Hotel was built at a time where there was nothing in the area around 4th and Walnut Streets. In fact, the Seelbach brothers were discouraged of building on property so far from the 'center' of Louisville at the time, the mayor even saying, "No one will come to a hotel so far away."[19] However, over the years, Louisville has expanded and The Seelbach Hotel has sat astride one of the most booming shopping and business disctrict in the 20th Century. In the time-span between the 1930s and 1960s, the Seelbach Hotel anchored an area with Louisville's best shops, and although it fell into disrepair, the area is a booming cultural and commercial center once again.[20] Louisville's Grand Hotel, so it were, has seen the city through all of these times and anchored its small district on the corner of 4th Avenue and Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

Notable Guests of The Seelbach

Al Capone, a frequent Seelbach guest.

Presidents

Quite a number of US Presidents have chosen to spend time at the Hotel while in Louisville, including: William Howard Taft (1911), Woodrow Wilson (1916), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1938), Harry Truman (1948), John F. Kennedy (1962), Lyndon B. Johnson (1964), Jimmy Carter (1970s), Bill Clinton (1998), and George W. Bush (2002).[21]

Gangsters

Lucky Luciano, Dutch Schultz, and Al Capone – who was a frequent guest of The Seelbach – all stayed within the hotels walls, often for secret poker games. One story from the 1920s involves Al Capone sneaking out of the hotel through a series of secret stairways and tunnels whenLouisville Police broke up one of the games.[22]

File:Gatsby 1925 jacket.gif
The Great Gatsby, first published in 1925.

Other Famous People

Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley, Robin Williams, Russel Crowe, Julia Child, Wolfgang Puck, and many others have graced Louisville's Grand Hotel with their presence over the years.[23]

One of America's favorite authors

F. Scott Fitzgerald frequented the hotel in April 1918, while training for his deployment in World War I, until one night after expensivebourban and cigars, he had to be restrained and kicked out of the Hotel.[24] This experience didn't tarnish his memories of the Hotel however, as he eventually incorporated The Seelbach as the setting for the wedding of Tom and Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby – or at least a derivative thereof.[25]

The Hotel

The Seelbach is a AAA 4 Diamond award winning hotel, denoting the quality of service and accommodations that have been present throughout its history.[26] The Hotel itself appears now on the National Register of Historic Places, and is considered "Louisville's Historic Hotel."[27] Today, the Hotel encompasses a recently renovated and revamped fitness center, the Z Salon and Spa, as well as close and convenient access to some of Louisville's best theatre, music venues, other nightlife, and shopping.

Restaurants

There are five dining options within the hotel, including The Oak Room, the Rathskeller, Otto's Cafe, the Old Seelbach Bar, and Starbucks. The Oakroom, Kentucky's only AAA Five Diamond Restaurant Award winner[28], is an elegant and refined dining experience. The famous Bavarian-style Rathskellar, decorated with rare Rookwood Pottery, remains to this day the only surviving ensemble of its kind.[29]

The Continuing Legacy

The legacy of the Seelbach Hotel lies in its resilience and grandeur. The Hotel broke into an area that had not encountered such a dazzling display of European elegance up to that time, and afterward continued to shape the social scene in the city. The Seelbach family that came with a modest dream, ended up leaving a lasting legacy in the city of Louisville that would shape visitors' experiences sit at the forefront of the Kentuckian hospitality industry for the many years of its existence.

Notes

  1. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 18.
  2. ^ Johnson,The Seelbach, 14-16.
  3. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 14.
  4. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 14.
  5. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 16-18.
  6. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 17.
  7. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 17.
  8. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 20.
  9. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 34.
  10. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 34.
  11. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 39-40.
  12. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 40.
  13. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 50.
  14. ^ "Closing the gap", 04 June 1956.
  15. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 56.
  16. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 59-68.
  17. ^ "Seelbach finishes $12 million restoration; Historic lady is elegant again", March 2009.
  18. ^ "MeriStar Hospitality Corp", The Washington Post.
  19. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 17.
  20. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 81.
  21. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 85, 88, 94.
  22. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 82-83.
  23. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 92.
  24. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 36.
  25. ^ Johnson, The Seelbach, 37.
  26. ^ "4 Diamond Award Winning Lodging", AAA
  27. ^ "Louisville's Historic Hotel", Hilton Hotels and Resorts.
  28. ^ "5 Diamond Award Winning Restaurants", AAA
  29. ^ "Louisville's Historic Hotel", Hilton Hotels and Resorts.

References

  • Johnson, Larry. The Seelbach: A Centennial Salute to Louisville's Grand Hotel. Louisville: Butler Books, 2005. ISBN 1-884532-65-9.
  • "Closing the gap," Time magazine June 4, 1956.
  • "Seelbach finishes $12 million restoration; Historic lady is elegant again". Courier-Journal: News B.1. 13. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  • "MeriStar Hospitality Corp". The Washington Post.
  • "AAA Newsroom – Diamond Award Winning Lodgings & Restaurants". AAA.
  • "Louisville's Historic Hotel". Hilton Hotels and Resorts.
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