The Great Southern Hotel

The Great Southern Hotel. The Historic National Road in Ohio. , "Fireproof" was an important word to the Columbus business community. Between 1889 and 1893, five downtown Columbus theaters were constructed and destroyed by fire. These fires also claimed the Seneca, Deshler, and Vendome hotels and resulted primarily because of combustible materials and lax building codes. In 1893, the fire in the old Henrietta Theater spread to the Chittenden Hotel and the Parker Theater, all on the north side of downtown. All three structures were destroyed., The next year, a rebuilt Chittenden Hotel and new theater opened on North High Street. To counter the "northern” activity, a group of south side businessmen organized 400 stockholders in 1893 to build what became the Great Southern Fireproof Hotel and Theatre. The intent was to spur economic development on the south side and the names of the facilities reflected that purpose., The Southern Hotel and Theatre were designed by the local architectural firm of Dauben, Krumm, and Riebel to never be touched by what the newspapers of the day referred to as "the fire demon.” The Southside merchants and businessmen who provided the financing for their hotel and playhouse wanted the building to be the finest in the state and no expense was spared. The Southern Hotel and Theatre's construction used fire resistant materials such as tile, brick, iron, and concrete., The hotel was host to many famous people of the times: William McKinley, Mark Hanna, William Howard Taft, Eleanor Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, and President Woodrow Wilson., In 1985, the Great Southern Hotel reopened after a 9.2 million dollar renovation.