Asheville in Buncombe County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Historic Hilltop

Asheville Urban Trail

By Richard E. Miller, April 18, 2010

1. Historic Hilltop Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Colonel Frank Coxe opened the first Battery Park Hotel in 1886. The rambling structure on a hill top became internationally prominent, catering to famous guests. In the early 1920s Edwin W. Groves purchased the property. He built a brand new Battery Park Hotel after first leveling the hill, which stood as high as the present seventh floor.

Placed in memory of Maurice Packett, Hotel Owner, 1951 to 1971, and Paul Lewis Chumbley, Jr., Manager.

Erected by Asheville Urban Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings.

Location. 35° 35.768′ N, 82° 33.377′ W. Marker is in Asheville, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. Marker can be reached from Page Avenue south of Battle Square Avenue. Marker is in the sidewalk on Page Avenue, southeast of the intersection, and about two blocks south of the Haywood Avenue exit off I-240/US70. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Battle Square Avenue, Asheville NC 28801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker.

Historic Hilltop Marker - in sidewalk on Page Avenue image. Click for full size.

By Richard E. Miller, April 18, 2010

2. Historic Hilltop Marker - in sidewalk on Page Avenue

Battery Porter (within shouting distance of this marker); Jimmie Rodgers (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Appalachian Stage (about 700 feet away); Elizabeth Blackwell, M.D. (approx. 0.2 miles away); Immortal Image (approx. 0.2 miles away); O. Henry (approx. 0.2 miles away); Stepping Out (approx. ¼ mile away); Robert E. Lee (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Asheville.

Also see . . .
1. Battery Park Hotel - National Register of Historic Places. ...The hotel continued in operation until 1972. During the 1980s, the Asheville Housing Authority, a private developer, converted the old hotel into apartments for senior citizens. Today, Battery Park continues to stand as a sentinel over the downtown. (Submitted on May 1, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)

2. Asheville Urban Trail. (Submitted on May 1, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)

Additional keywords. St. Lawrence Basilica

Close up of Battery Park Hotel Guest Register image. Click for full size.

By Richard E. Miller, April 18, 2010

3. Close up of Battery Park Hotel Guest Register

- rendering in bronze, on pedestal adjacent to marker, with signatures including Presidents Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt.

Battery Park Apartment Building, image. Click for full size.

By Richard E. Miller, April 18, 2010

4. Battery Park Apartment Building,

formerly the Battery Park Hotel.

Hilltop Resort - The original Battery Park Hotel image. Click for full size.

ca. 1900

5. Hilltop Resort - The original Battery Park Hotel

(caption title) Asheville--the Ideal Autumn and Winter Resort City (cover) Autumn and Winter in Asheville Life Outdoors Southern Railway (U.S.). Passenger Traffic Dept. [20] p., ill. Washington, DC Passenger Traffic Dept., Southern Railway Co. [1900?] Call number Cp971.11 A82s (North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

View northeast from Page Ave. and Battery Square toward the Basilica of St. Lawrence image. Click for full size.

By Richard E. Miller, April 16, 2010

6. View northeast from Page Ave. and Battery Square toward the Basilica of St. Lawrence

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 29, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 965 times since then and 2 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 1, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.