Windsor Hotel
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Windsor Hotel is located at: 125 West Lamar Street
Built in 1892, to attract winter
visitors from the north, the Windsor was a 100-room, five story Victorian
structure complete with towers, balconies, and a three story open atrium
lobby. It occupies nearly an entire city block, and was the site of numerous
balls and celebrations. The Windsor closed its doors in the early 1970s, but
recently underwent a $5.8 million restoration which returned the historic
structure to its original grandeur. Visitors, now, can stay in any of 53 period style rooms with all-modern
amenities. No rooms in the Windsor are exactly the same, so each room has its own warmth and style. The Grand Opening transpired on June 16, 1892. Thousands attended the opening and
over 100 guests registered the first day. A Grand Ball lasted until well after
midnight in the fifth-floor ballroom. Although prospects for the Windsor appeared to be
rosy, such was not the case. A nation-wide economic depression in 1893 put a
serious dent in the tourist trade, the hotel’s reason for being. By the end of
the decade bankruptcy was declared, and the AMIC lost their investments. On
September 5, 1899, Charles A. Fricker bought the Windsor for $40,000 at public
sale. In September, 1910, the hotel was completely renovated with electric lights, new
elevators, telephones, and steam heat, at a cost of $75,000. Numerous smaller
scale renovations occurred over the following decades, but the Windsor never
regained her full, Victorian-era glory. In the 1930’s the property was again
sold. This time to Mr. Howard Dayton, of Daytona Beach, Florida. Mr. Dayton
owned a number of hotels in Florida and South Georgia and kept the Windsor in
operation for another four decades. Finally, in August, 1974, having operated
for some time as apartments, the hotel closed her doors after 82 years. The Windsor Hotel was donated to the City of Americus in 1978 by the Howard
Dayton family. The challenge facing in-coming Mayor Russell Thomas, Jr. in 1980
was two-fold: either demolish the hotel and use the lot for parking or restore
the building. The community was overwhelmingly in favor of restoring the hotel,
making it the centerpiece for downtown revitalization. Because it was such a big
project, downtown merchants were urged to begin the revitalization effort by
rehabilitating their own storefronts. This, they did. The new Windsor Hotel was
unveiled in September, 1991. There are 53 unique period-style rooms and suites, all with twelve foot ceilings
and ceiling fans. The guest room doors were milled from the original floor
joists removed from the shops during restoration. Each room has modern
individually controlled heating and air conditioning. The entire building is
equipped with sprinklers and state-of-the-art fire safety equipment.
Americus, GA 31709
Voice: 229-924-1555
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The information and pictures were provided by the Windsor Hotel Staff
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