Title
Hotel Stafford, 1955
Subject
Hotels
Description
Artist rendering of the hotel that would be named the Hotel Stafford . It was built on the site of the old Stafford Elementary School. The block at 9th Street and 22nd Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa had a rich history even before the Hotel Stafford was constructed there.
It was the site where, about 1830, the Tuscaloosa Female Academy was built. In 1885, the building became Tuscaloosa’s first school building, called the Stafford School.
In 1955, when the Stafford School building was demolished, the 9-story Hotel Stafford rose in its place.
The hotel was built by Tuscaloosa Hotel Co. with Hayes Tucker as head and the company made up of civic leaders who considered providing a downtown hotel a civic duty.
When the hotel opened in 1956, it was the finest accommodation in Tuscaloosa. Families went there for Sunday dinner, important guests and thousands of visitors stayed there. It became the place for organizations and clubs to meet.
Its demise began in the late 1950s and 1960s, when motels sprang up near the highways. New restaurants were built and new meeting places were developed.
Hotel Stafford lost business; its once comfortable rooms became shabby and the furniture became outdated. Its heating and cooling system was antiquated with one control for all the rooms. Lodgers complained.
Unable to produce enough revenue for a full-scale renovation, the hotel went steadily downhill.
A stockholders meeting in 1978 showed the Stafford to be in deep financial trouble.
The board of directors explored options, including the sale of the hotel, but they felt the best option was a full-scale renovation to bring the hotel back to its former position of prestige and elegance.
Even with the renovation, there was no way the hotel could compete with newer modern hotels, but it was the plan for a Sheraton Hotel on the UA campus that sounded the death knell for the Stafford. The owners had no alternative but to put the hotel up for sale in 1985. The hotel was sold to Stewart Properties Inc. and Boles Enterprises Inc. for $1.2 million. After the hotel’s debts were paid, little was left for the shareholders.
In 1987, the Stafford reopened as Stafford Plaza, an apartment building.
It was the site where, about 1830, the Tuscaloosa Female Academy was built. In 1885, the building became Tuscaloosa’s first school building, called the Stafford School.
In 1955, when the Stafford School building was demolished, the 9-story Hotel Stafford rose in its place.
The hotel was built by Tuscaloosa Hotel Co. with Hayes Tucker as head and the company made up of civic leaders who considered providing a downtown hotel a civic duty.
When the hotel opened in 1956, it was the finest accommodation in Tuscaloosa. Families went there for Sunday dinner, important guests and thousands of visitors stayed there. It became the place for organizations and clubs to meet.
Its demise began in the late 1950s and 1960s, when motels sprang up near the highways. New restaurants were built and new meeting places were developed.
Hotel Stafford lost business; its once comfortable rooms became shabby and the furniture became outdated. Its heating and cooling system was antiquated with one control for all the rooms. Lodgers complained.
Unable to produce enough revenue for a full-scale renovation, the hotel went steadily downhill.
A stockholders meeting in 1978 showed the Stafford to be in deep financial trouble.
The board of directors explored options, including the sale of the hotel, but they felt the best option was a full-scale renovation to bring the hotel back to its former position of prestige and elegance.
Even with the renovation, there was no way the hotel could compete with newer modern hotels, but it was the plan for a Sheraton Hotel on the UA campus that sounded the death knell for the Stafford. The owners had no alternative but to put the hotel up for sale in 1985. The hotel was sold to Stewart Properties Inc. and Boles Enterprises Inc. for $1.2 million. After the hotel’s debts were paid, little was left for the shareholders.
In 1987, the Stafford reopened as Stafford Plaza, an apartment building.
Source
Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama
Date
1955
Contributor
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
Drawing
Identifier
647
Coverage
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Original Format
Drawing
Physical Dimensions
8 inches x 10 inches