Redmont Hotel

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The Redmont Hotel and Residences is a 14 story (160 foot, 60 meter) tall, 114-room hotel, residence and conference center located on the corner of 5th Avenue North and 21st Street in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. The Redmont, named after Birmingham's Red Mountain is the oldest hotel in Birmingham still in use. It is currently owned by Bayshore Asset Management of Tampa, Florida and, until recently, was operated as a Crowne Plaza Hotel by InterContinental Hotels Group.

1 History
2 Current status
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The Redmont was opened on May 1, 1925 as a 250-room hotel to plans by architect Geoffry Lloyd Preacher of Atlanta, Georgia. It was unusual at its time for having a private bath attached to every room as well as chilled water and ceiling fans. The "Rainbow Room" lounge debuted in 1937 and became the watering hole for an informal group of influential persons called the "Knothole Gang".

In 1946 the hotel was purchased by businessman Clifford Stiles who added a penthouse apartment on the roof for himself and his family in 1947. Some say that Stiles, who died in 1972, still haunts the building. In 1952, singer Hank Williams spent his last night in the Redmont on an uncompleted trip from Montgomery to Charleston, West Virginia. One of the suites earned the moniker "the Lucky Governor's Suite" when it served as the local headquarters for the successful Jim Folsom and George Wallace gubernatorial campaigns of the 1960s.

After decades of decline, the hotel was purchased in 1983 by an investment group made up of NBA players, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ralph Sampson. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 27 of that year. A $7 million dollar renovation led to a grand re-opening in 1985. Another refurbishment in 2000 uncovered previously hidden architectural details and cleaned the exterior.

[edit] Current status

In April 2006 the Redmont's owners announced plans to convert its two uppermost floors into nine one and two bedroom condominiums with another luxury condominium in the penthouse. The condominiums will include hotel services such as housecleaning, valet parking, room service, security and bellhop assistance as well as access to the fitness center. Other plans include adding a coffee bar or doughnut shop at ground level.

The owners also dropped their association with Crowne Plaza and are currently operating the hotel, which will keep 70 to 90 guest rooms, as an independent.

The Redmont has a café (The Redmont Café) and lounge (The Rare Olive), and also hosts a weekly rooftop jazz concert in the summer.

[edit] References

Williams, Roy L. (April 12, 2006) "Redmont Hotel top floors going condo". Birmingham News.
Bosley, Anita S. (September 1, 2000) "Building holds clues to '20s-era Birmingham". Birmingham Business Journal.