Exploring Abandoned: Majestic Hotel

The Majestic property was originally the site of the Hiram Whittington House in 1870. The Avenue Hotel was the first name given to the hotel, built in 1882, featuring an electric dining room and gas powered guest rooms. Street cars arrived and departed every five minutes to transport guests to and from the bath houses. It was renamed the Majestic Hotel in 1888 and was named after the Majestic Stove Company although no one really knows why. The newly named hotel featured a brand new invention, the elevator. In 1902, owner Harry A. Jones demolished the old wooden structure and replaced it with a five-story yellow brick building. The hotel reopened a short time later in 1903 with a fully equipped greenhouse, distinctive bull’s-eye windows and rounded brick corners. The Majestic Hotel was one of the first brick buildings in the city, featuring 150 rooms, 50 of those with private baths. This was also the grand opening of the famous restaurant known as The Dutch Treat Grill. A non-operational windmill hung over the restaurant’s front doors while window boxes full of fresh flowers wrapped the hotel. The hotel became the home of the Pittsburg Pirates during spring baseball training from 1901 to 1916 and then again from 1920 to 1923. Babe Ruth reportedly considered The Majestic hotel his favorite place to stay. The Majestic was also frequented by the Boston Red Sox and in the 1920’s Bugs Moran, known Al Capone rival, arrived for respite. The two held a “peace pact” while in the city and reportedly never scuffled while in town. The Majestic Parking Garage was lovely with her white modern columns and signage reading, “Storage, Oil Changes, Parking”. The hotel once housed the famous Clydesdale horses during the wedding of August A. Busch, founder of Busch-Budweiser beer. He was married in the lobby of The Annex building. In 1944, as their contribution to the war effort, the hotel offered services as a redistribution center for the US Army for approximately 18 months. GIs were housed in the hotel upon return from overseas as they awaited reassignment or discharge. On December 15, 1945, the hotel reopened and this grand opening was attended by famous actor, Alan Ladd, known for his television show, “Candid Camera”. Phyllis Diller, Guy Lombardo, Hubert Humphrey, Liberace and Tiny Tim also stayed at the Majestic. Air conditioning was added to the hotel and all guest rooms in 1950. The hotel added the Lanai Suites in 1958. The suites surrounded a waterfall and pools that were frequented by a scantily clad, Phyllis Diller, who drew quite a crowd in her bikini. The suites boasted the first of the modern sliding glass doors. In 1963, the 10-story Lanai Towers were added and was home of the famous “glass elevator” and two level parking garage. A major $1 million renovation took place in 1982 and was completed in October of 1983. 130 rooms of the original yellow brick building were closed due to continued decline in occupancy in 1988. In 1989, The Arlington Hotel (a local hotel in the city) and Majestic Hotel were combined and in 1990, The Majestic Hotel was home to five permanent residents. Five years later, in 1995, the original yellow brick structure was renovated. Despite this effort, occupancy rates continued to sink. On October 13, 2006, Monty Scott, president of Southwest Hotels and owner of both The Arlington and Majestic Hotels, announced the closure of The Majestic. The hotel was donated to Ark of Arkansas (a non-profit organization) in 2007 with plans to renovate and create affordable housing but the plans never materialized. The historic Majestic Hotel sat empty and forgotten until her sale to Gary Hassenflu of Garrison Properties, LLC, in January 2012. He announced plans to create retail space and apartments with the hotel property. However, on a unseasonably warm evening in February of 2014, the hotel caught on fire. It started around 6 P.M. that evening and after a week after the fire started, police said it was caused by Arson. The fire started on the fifth floor and spread rapidly. In 2015, the city assumed ownership of the Hotel. At the time of making this video, the rubble is still being cleaned and cleared.
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